Outside The Lines
by Stormai
Summary: College Fanfic. When you're a cheerleader, staying off the field gets a whole lot harder when the whole football team are some good-looking hotties. You have to learn to stay outside the lines, but how long can you last without crossing that line? What happens when you get inside those lines?
1. Crossing Boundaries

**SEASON** **ONE**

Chapters 1–20 

**Main** **Cast**

•JOSHUA MATTHEWS (JOSH MATTHEWS)

•RILEY MATTHEWS

•MAYA HART

•LUCAS FRIAR

•MISSY BRADFORD

•RACHEL WHITE

•ISAIAH BABINEAUX (ZAY BABINEAUX)

•BILLY ROSS

 **Supporting** **Cast**

•CHRISTOPHER CHANDLER (CHRIS CHANDLER)

•FARKLE MINKUS

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 **A/N: Welcome!**

 **You may have wondered why it says "REVAMPED' in the title...well, long story short, I started this story (on this same account but under a different name) and it got to 22 chapters before I deleted it. Around that time, I was very stressed out and decided to delete the story. Now, even though GMW is not on anymore, I thought it wouldn't be right for this story (every chapter I worked very hard on) to be stuck in my drafts.**

 **This is based on College football. The college is made up and is called: Flakesville.**

 **In this story, Josh and Riley are fraternal twins (I thought it'd be better :D)**

 **Also, Joshua and Lucas are best buddies in this story. Riley and Maya are best friends (like the original series). You will also meet the others in this chapter.**

 **And it goes without saying that this story is an "AU" (Alternate Universe)…Some characters may be "OOC" (Out of Character) for the premise of this story.**

 **Hope you enjoy the story,**

 **~ STORMAI**

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Chapter I: **_Crossing Boundaries_**

"Ouch! Riley!" Missy cries out. She turns around in her seat to look at the pretty brunette who gave her an apologetic look in return. "Maya," She turns to the blonde rebel who was busy checking the cute brunette hottie in the back of the college classroom. "Maya!" Missy snaps her fingers, snapping Maya out of her trance.

"What! Oh, what's up...Missy?" Maya says slowly. Missy pressed her lips together, scanning one of her closest friend's face. Maya was totally love-sick. Missy knew Maya couldn't keep her eyes off of the hottie in the back. Every girl wanted him. Too bad that the hottie was all about hitting it and quitting it, instead of the more ever lasting relationship thing.

Missy folds her arms. "I was going to tell you to help me flat-iron my hair, but it looks as if you're already occupied." Missy says with a little knowing smirk. She turns to Riley. "Looks like your bestie has eyes for Joshy." She tells Riley, who fakes a gag.

Joshy, Josh—or Joshua Matthews—is known as one of Flakesville's sophomore hotties. He earned that name by his fellow college students. He is the fraternal twin brother of Riley Matthews. He is a die-hard football player, and his best friend is Lucas Friar—who is also apart of the football team. He hates school but loves sports. He also loves sleeping in late and loves his sister to death even though he won't admit it in front of her face. One secret he has that only Riley and Lucas know: He sleeps with a purple bunny called 'Chester' (cut him some slack; he has loved that bunny since he was little)

"Maya, stop making googly eyes towards my brother." Riley says, smacking her best friend's arm. Riley Matthews is the fraternal twin sister of Joshua Matthews. She is quirky and high-spirited. She is a cheerleader for the Flakesville's Snowbears! Her best friend-turned sister or BFF is Maya Hart; her non-official best friend is Missy Braxton; her second-favorite best friend is Rachel White. One secret she has that only her _girls_ know: she has a minor-crush on Lucas Friar. One secret that she only knows: she has a MAJOR crush on Lucas Friar. "You don't want to give him the wrong impression."

"What impression would that be?" Maya ask.

"The impression that you like him." Riley says and Maya is about to interfere, but Riley continues. "We don't need his ego to get any bigger. Trust me, you don't have to live with him."

"Now." Maya says with a little knowing smirk on the edge of her lips.

Maya Hart is an only child and a rebellious-like teen. Drawing is her passion, which is the only reason why she was accepted by this college. She is a cheerleader by force; her friends made her become one seeing that they all joined. Her friends are: Riley, Missy, and Rachel. She is really close to Riley though. Not so much to Rachel. She has a step dad that is best friends with Riley's parents, Riley's father in particular. One secret she has that Riley, Rachel, and Missy know: she has a crush on Joshua Matthews a.k.a. Riley's twin brother.

Meanwhile, they boys all sat in the back laughing with each other. All of them had their Snowbear jerseys on. Josh, Zay, Billy, and Lucas—Riley's crush.

Lucas Friar is a cute and handsome brown-haired that could make any girl swoon. He is not from Colorado; he was born in Austin, Texas. He lived on a farm, where he had to grow crops and tend to animals. He used to ride bulls until he came to live in New York City with his mom after a mishap at his old school. He left friends out in Texas, and fortunately one came to join him in Texas a couple of years ago. He moved to Colorado with his friends to attend Flakesville, who seemed to have a great veterinary program. He is a football player for the Flakeville's Snowbears. He has a passion for animals, wanting to become a veterinarian when he is older. He also speaks fluent French. One secret he has that only Josh knows: he shampoos his hair with girl shampoo because men shampoo will break him out (Just go with it).

"So, Billy, what's up with you and Julie? One moment: you two are dating and then you two are 'broken up'." Using his hands Josh put quotations around 'broken up'.

"I don't know." Billy starts to fiddle with his fingers. "Like," He pauses and looks around before leaning in to whisper to the group. "She wanted to hang out. I'm too stupid to actually realize that she was in it for sex. So when we were hanging out in her dorm, she suddenly straddled me and we began to make out which turned into...you know."

Josh tries so hard to keep the smile that was trying to form as he shakes his head. "No, enlighten me." He says.

"Stop joking around, dude." Billy says with a dead serious look. "She isn't the best when it comes to sex, so I had to do the worst: fake a moan."

"You faked a moan?" Zay ask. He sounded a lot like a girl right now, but he could care less. "Dude, oh wow'! That bad, huh?" Zay faked a concerned face before laughter forced him to surrender.

"No, I'm serious." Billy says and sighs. Lucas lets out a sigh as well before placing a hand on his back and rubbing it. "She was just...oh my gosh...she slipped her tongue in my mouth and I didn't know how to react. I mean, tongue kissing from her was like...painful." He hesitantly says. "...which made the sex horrible too."

"You sure?" Josh ask. "Because this girl has been wanting to make out with me for so long and I have been thinking about doing that."

Billy nods. "Yeah dude. Don't do it. She'll make you not want to kiss anybody ever again." He tells Josh.

"Oh come on!" Zay exclaims. "It can't be that bad."

Lucas turns to Zay before he not-so-whispered. "You want to give it a try?" He asks, pushing his lips together and leaning closer to Zay.

"No!" Zay shrieks (girly but not too girly) and pushes Lucas's face away, making the group laugh. That's something Lucas is known for: his funny personality. He can turn a bad situation into a good one in no time. (And for the record, Lucas is not gay.)

"Hey guys, I just wanted to give you the update on our away games." Rachel, a pretty african-american girl, interrupts the group of boys. "Flakesville has the buses ready, and I got it to where there are tv monitors this time like you guys asked." She kept reading things off her little blue-lined note sheet, but the boys wasn't hearing a thing she was saying. They were too mesmerized by the Rachel's beauty. "Josh," She looks at him, making him quickly jump out of his trance and focusing on what she was saying for once. "You, Lucas, Missy, and I have to get up and pump up the crowd because our 'captains' are in meetings." She made an annoyed voice when referring to the captains. "Annnnnnd..." Rachel looks up and down her note sheet. "I think I covered everything."

She puts her note sheet in her purse and looks at the group. All but Josh were still gawking at her. "Would you stop looking at me like I'm a naked stripper?" Rachel exclaims and rolls her eyes before walking off.

Josh laughs and snaps his fingers. "Guys, wake up! Get out of stripper land." This makes the three boys snap out of their trances. "If you guys get anymore obvious, Rachel will get a little less oblivious."

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

At the front of the room, Rachel and Missy stand with big smiles on their faces. "Thanks to everybody for staying after school hours to gather in this room." Missy thanks everyone. "Josh, Lucas...boys...get up here!" Missy yells, gritting her teeth together.

Lucas and Josh rush to the front of the room. "Sorry about that." Josh apologizes. He turns to the room full of cheerleaders and football players. "This Fall Break, we start this season off in Utah. Then we play other teams up to December. Then, January starts and THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN. But first, we have to qualify." Josh says enthusiastically, and everyone cheers. "If not.." He turns to Lucas.

Lucas put on a sad face. "We have to wait until next season...TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP! NOBODY WANTS THAT! FLAKESVILLE HAS NEVER HELD A FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP! WE CAN CHANGE THAT!" This got the team pumped as they nod their head and converse between each other.

"So, the school is going to make us feel comfortable going to the game. They want us to win, and they believe that giving us the most comfort they can will make us play better." Josh says.

"Flakesville just purchased a bus that has flat screen tv's!" Rachel shouts, which makes both the cheerleaders and football players sound off.

"If they are giving us all this stuff, we need to play our best." Lucas talks over the crowd. "We need to go into that game believing that we'll win. And we need to come out of that game as winners!"

"WHO'S GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!" Josh shouts.

"WE ARE! WE ARE!" The football team chants back.

"WHO'S GOING TO KICK MIGHTY DUCKS' ASS!" Missy shouts loud.

"WE ARE! WE ARE!" Every chants.

"Yeah, we are!" Lucas shouts. Riley sits in her seat, looking at Lucas as he riles the team up. She thought that he looked so cute doing it. The way his muscles tightened when he moved his arms made her want to jump on them. The way his voice flowed from his mouth made her want to kiss his lips. The way his hair started to sweat when he started jumping around and acting crazy made her want to go crazy.

"Go practice." Rachel says.

"Get some sleep." Josh says.

"Because we're going to need all the energy we've got—" Lucas says.

"—to win this game!" Missy finishes off. "Let's go, Snowbears! Let's go!" Missy starts the cheer.

The cheerleaders clap and move to the beat. "Let's go, Snowbears! Let's go!" The girls continue to chant as they move their arms in the practiced way.

Josh looks at the girls as they cheered for them. He smiles, having something in mind. "We want kisses! Yes, we do!" He chants and claps like the cheerleaders.

The boys follow Josh's lead as they clap with him. "We want kisses! Yes, we do!" They chant and clap, which makes the girls stop chanting and give them disgusting faces.

The cheerleaders shook their heads simultaneously. "Not from us! Not from us!" They all cheer. Riley and Maya only cheer because the other girls were. In honesty, they wanted kisses from someone special.

Rachel and Missy lick their tongues out at Josh and Lucas. Josh—because he encouraged the chant. Lucas—because he chanted with them. Rachel and Missy turn to each other and squeal.

Missy Bradford and Rachel White are two gorgeous teenage-adult women, who have most of the boys fawning over them. Missy Bradford is pretty brunette with a little naughty side; however, she also has a sweet and friendly side which made her a big attraction to Rachel, Riley, and Missy. Rachel White is a pretty girl with a slight sassy side, but she is very loving especially to her friends. Both Missy and Rachel are sophomore cheerleaders. Although, Missy throws all her work off on Rachel who doesn't mind at all. One secret that Missy has that her friends know: she has a crush on Christopher Chandler. One secret that Rachel has that NO one knows: she has a crush on Isaiah Babineaux.

Speaking of Isaiah Babineax—also known as Zay, he is a football player who is known for his goofiness. Like Lucas, he was born in Texas. He met Lucas there, and they became best friends. When Lucas moved, Zay and his family moved a year later because his dad was transferred to New York (his dad is in the military). One secret that only Billy Ross and Lucas Friar knows: Zay was not into girls when he was younger. He constantly got bullied for being simply different (which triggered to the reason why Lucas moved to New York). Now, he is in Colorado loving his college life.

Speaking of Billy Ross, he is also a football player. He is known for his player-ish ways, meaning he is a player (hook up with girls then dumps them). However, his friends found that he wasn't like that at all. He was pretty cool. He and Lucas never got along at first, but he warmed up to Lucas. One secret that he has that no one knows: Missy Bradford is at the top of his PLAY-LIST.

 **{*****}**

"Dude," Josh says as he pulls his shirt off and throws it down on his living room's floor. His dorm is pretty big with a living room; Flakeville likes to treat their students like adults so all of their dorms are modeled after apartments. There are 2 bedrooms and one bath; it's like a little bit smaller normal size apartment. "We are so going to get that captain role when these seniors leave. I heard that we can be captain when we become juniors. We're sophomores! We got this in the bag!"

Lucas laughs. "Yeah, but I don't think I'm cut out to be a captain."

"Luke, bro!" Josh exclaims. "You can do anything. One: you and I are undoubtedly the hottest guys here at Flakesville. Two: never doubt yourself." He put an arm around Lucas. "You'll be captain and I'll make sure of it, alright."

Lucas smiles and nods. "Thanks bro. This'll seem less awkward if you had a shirt on, though." Lucas admits.

Josh moves his arm and laughs. "I thought after eight years you'd get use to all of _thiiiis_." He says, motioning to his body. "I know you're jealous, Luke. You wish you had the eight-pack that I carry. It's fine though; ladies love the six-packs too."

Lucas glares at Josh. "Oh, so you got jokes." He says and lets out a not-so-amusing chuckle. "You know what? I'm gonna let you have that one, because you and I both know...eight pack or not, I can still whoop your pretty boy ass."

"Oh, really." Josh cracks his knuckles "Bring it on, Cowboy. Yee Haw!" He called out, making fun of Lucas's Texan roots.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"You got lucky. We're not finished here." Lucas sends a glare to Josh before running to the door before opening it to reveal..."Riley, hey. What's up?" He greeted her.

"I needed to...um...I...is my brother here?" She ask, and Lucas turns his head to look at Josh who was shaking his head. It's pathetic how he doesn't want to see his sister, Lucas thinks. Lucas shakes his head, making a sad sigh escape from Riley. "It's this thing that's too important—oh what the heck! Josh, I know you're in there!"

Josh pops his head out into the open. "Oh hey, sis."

"Don't _hey sis_ me." She tells him, giving him a sheet of paper. "One of your late night hook-ups left this on my door."

Josh's eyes go wide. "Oh." He examines the paper before laughing. "Oh, I remember her. I had to use your dorm, because I didn't want her to know where I lived."

"Well, I hope you fix this because if I get another letter, I will go insane." Riley exclaims before running a hand through her hair. "Anyways, Lucas, I need help getting something out of my top drawer and Maya isn't any help so...can you help me?" Riley tried to stay calm throughout the whole thing.

Lucas laughs. "Oh, sure. No problem. You saved your brother from his most embarrassing moment of his life." He says. "Let me just get my jacket.

It's the beginning of October and it tends to be hot one day then cold the next, which is why bringing a jacket is the only safe thing.

"Why couldn't I do it?" Josh ask, making a face at the back of Lucas's head as he watched him walk into the small hallway. "I'm your brother, aren't I?"

Riley nods. "Yeah, but I don't need any of your future Sex Toys to follow us to my dorm. There are rumors going around that you have a whole group of fangirls wanting to have sex with you. They don't need to start thinking that he lives with his sister...you know...showing up at my door." She makes something up.

For some odd reason, Josh believes it. "Okay." He says, nodding his head.

He turns around and walks towards the couch. Riley turns her head to the side to see her best friend standing there with a hopeful facial expression. "The coast is clear, Maya. And this is the last favor that I'm doing for you, alright?" Riley says. Maya has used blackmail on Riley to get Josh all to herself.

Maya nods.

She's happy, because she gets Joshua all to herself. And, there isn't anything pretty boy Matthews can do about it.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, let me know if you like this story and I'll continue posting the revamped chapters.**

 **I tried so hard to fit every single character from Girl Meets World into this story. I absolutely wanted to make sure that Farkle was somehow in here (I couldn't make it happen), because I never include him in my stories. I wanted to try something a little different. So I think in my next unedited chapters, he will appear but he won't be as important...therefore, he won't appear as much. Maybe once every blue moon!**

 **I kind of like this plot, because it features four cheerleaders and four football players. Each will be paired with one from the other side, and I can't wait for you guys to read it. Next chapter will be a filler chapter, getting into the reasons to why Riley likes Lucas and why Maya likes Josh and why Rachel slick likes Zay. Then, we'll be introduced to Chris and I'll introduce Farkle and...yeah! All of that!**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow**

 **~STORMAI**


	2. Eyes for the Hotties

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this lengthy chapter. Farkle and Chris are introduced with a little background. Again, I hope you enjoy ~ TheRealSkystorm**

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Chapter II _: **Eyes for the Hotties**_

 _Bump_

"Ow!"

Hitting your head on your be'd headboard sounds like a bad way to start your morning. However, for Riley, it was just what she needed to get herself motivating for a day. Silly, right? A bump to the head gets someone motivated to get up and start their day. Although with Riley, when SHE bumps her head every morning, a smile comes to her face because that bump is what got her the crush on a special someone. Someone she would not name at the moment. Oh what the heck...Lucas Friar!

 **Flashback to Last Year**

"YEAAAAH!"

"I LOVE THIS PARTY!"

As you can guess, there is a party going on. It's a party that every single football player and cheerleader never wants to miss. It is the annual _Ball Party_ that takes place after the season is over. It is a house party that Riley really didn't want to go to, but, seeing as she was the newbie on the cheerleading squad and didn't want to cause any waves with her captain at the time, she had to go. Plus, her brother's reputation was pretty high and he wanted to keep it that way; if that meant Riley had to fake it for not, then it's what she had to do. Josh was so busy trying to suck up to the seniors, so that he could make them feel like he's one of the bros...hoping for one of them to say nothing but good things to the coach. Josh was already planning for the Captain spot; to him junior year was approaching in 2 years and he needed to put in some work. And he'd be damned if his sister messed that up...

"Act natural." Josh whispered to his sister. Riley folded her arms and rolled her eyes. She remembered telling him that she joined cheerleading for the athletic department...not for these rowdy house parties that somehow 80% of the time lead to cops invading.

"Josh, why did I have to come?" Riley asked.

Josh sighed. "Because your reputation hurts my reputation. I told you that! Weren't you listening in the car?" He asked with a confused face. "And I need this captain position. This year is my first year at Flakesville. I need to click with the head group. We come as a package deal. If you didn't show up to this party, it would hurt my reputation because—"

"I'm a cheerleader." Riley said.

Josh nodded. "Exactly." He exclaimed with a bright smile. Finally, his sister got it! "Now, try and go have some fun. Once I think I've done a great job, we'll call it a night. I'll drive you home and let you get back to your nerdy project."

Riley elbowed her twin in his stomach, which made him double over while clutching his stomach. "For the record, it's not a nerdy project. It's a research paper on the minds of idiotic a-holes like you." She barked.

"Josh!" A loud voice made Riley turn around. As soon as she turned around, the sight of her brother's best friend came into view. His name was Lucas for all she knew and she seen him around her own family home some times. Sometimes, he'll spend the night and they'd keep up too much noise for Riley to sleep or Lucas'll help her dad with his car. She rolled her eyes when he was drawing near. He acted like her brother so much, and Riley thought that made him so much hotter. "Oh, hey Riley." Lucas greeted Riley before turning back to Josh who pulled them away from Riley.

Riley groaned. "Great. Now I'm by myself." Her brother had left her alone in the middle of a house party, where she knew no one.

"Riley! You made it!" A cheery voice said from behind her. She turned around to see Missy, her friend. "I can't believe you came. Rachel and I were going to come up with a believable story to why you weren't coming. The rest of the cheerleaders were getting upset."

"Upset about what exactly?" Riley asked.

"About you not being here, silly!" Missy said before grabbing Riley's arm and pulling her to where the rest of the cheerleaders were. "Guess who joined us!" Missy made a big announcement, which made Riley a little uncomfortable. She was nervous standing in front of people, but it was something she knew she had to get use to being a cheerleader and all.

"So, Riley..." One of the cheerleaders, Blake, began to speak. "...tell us something about yourself. I mean, we cheered with you all season but we never knew a single thing about you."

"Well," Riley was trying to think of one. Nothing really came to mind until the sight of her brother's hair came into contact. "I'm the twin sister of Joshua Matthews."

"You act as if we didn't know that already." Rachel laughed.

Riley made a face to Rachel that Rachel knew too well. When was she going to learn to shut her mouth...

"I didn't know that!" Kelly, another cheerleader, said. "If you don't mind, can I have his phone number? Your brother is freaking hot!" That got all the girls talking, and finally Riley felt like she fitted in even if it was for some lame reason that her twin brother was the hottest guy in their school.

"NOBODY MOVE! ALL HANDS IN THE AIR!"

Looks like the house party has just came to an end, because the cops showed up. Ironically, everybody in the house began to scatter like roaches. Riley was scared; she was never in this situation. Her brother dragged her here and when they got out of here, she was going to drag him...literally.

In the process of all the running, someone tripped Riley making her hit her head in the floor. She held her head with her hand as people ran all over her. "Ouch!" She cried, trying so desperately to get off of the floor only to be kicked right back down by people she hardly knew in the first place.

"I got'cha." A familiar voice said. For a second, she thought it was her brother because she turned around and started hitting him in his chest...but then she realized that it was Lucas. "Sorry if I scared you."

"I just thought you were Josh." Riley admitted. "I'm going to kill him when I see him again."

"Woah, that sucker is huge." Lucas exclaimed, looking at the bump that was noticeable on Riley's forehead. Riley felt so embarrassed. Even in the mist of possibly getting arrested, she still somehow found a way to be embarrassed. "Come on. We can escape through the back."

"Wait, where's Josh?" Riley asked.

"He was right behind me." Lucas explained. "Maybe he got lost in the crowd. Come on, we don't have much time." Lucas pushed her to the backdoor before they slipped out. "We have to jump this fence." He told her, rubbing his hands together. The look on Riley's face was priceless. "Come on, we got to do this. Do you want to get caught by the cops?" That answer was rhetorical, seeing as Lucas quickly moved to jump the fence without Riley's answer.

Lucas climbed the wooden fence before looking down at Riley who looked like she was struggling. Lucas reached out his hand as far as he could, hoping Riley would take notice that he was trying to help her. She did. "Ahhh." Lucas made a grunting noise as he pulled Riley up with all his strength.

"Thank you." Riley thanked him before she allowed herself to jump down on the other side. She looked up at Lucas, who was struggling to get down. "You need any help?" She asked, but he shook his head. Lucas knew he needed help, but he didn't want to admit it. "Come on! You're going to get us caught. Here." She reached out her hand and Lucas took it.

However, when she pulled his arm to pull him down, he let out a painful noise before shaking his head. "Go." He said. "Ow."

Riley laughed, finally realizing what the problem was. "Fence got your butt." She was referring to his butt injury a while back when he failed to safely ride a skateboard. Lucas still has bruises from that.

Eventually, he climbed down.

"Let's take a look at that bump on your forehead." He told her, grabbing her head and looking at it. "Good thing I always come prepared." He said before pulling out a bottle of cream medicine. He rubs it on her head. "There you go. Are you alright?"

Just then, Riley realized: Lucas is not what she thought he would be. She thought he was her brother's twin; someone who was annoying and would never shut up. Turns out, he was anything but that. He was caring and mature to be his age.

"Yeah, now I am."

 **Present**

"RILEY!"

Riley jumps out of her daydream only to realize that Maya is standing in the doorway. "Oops, sorry." She apologizes and quickly moves to get dressed.

The bell rings, signaling end of the second period.

"STUDENTS, THE PRINCIPAL OF FLAKESVILLE HAS CALLED OFF ALL CLASSES FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS. FLAKESVILLE IS HERE TO GIVE YOU THE BEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND WE BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE. OUR MAINTENANCE TEAM WILL FIX THE TEMPERATURE. AS FOR NOW, WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR NEXT FREE HOURS."

"That's awesome." Missy exclaims after the intercom's announcement. She turns to Rachel. "Since we have more than enough time, we can get all of these things done that's on the list for required things for the trip that these captains dumped on us."

Rachel laughs as she looks down at the paper that was neatly placed on top of her books. "You do know that there is only ONE thing on that list, and it requires BOTH of us to join." She shoves the paper in Missy's face who snatches it from her best friend's hand.

After reading it, she groans. "Ugh, I don't want to go to some stupid meeting." She whines. "Didn't the head cheerleader and the assistant cheerleader do that already?"

"Yeah, but there was still one more meeting that they asked me to ask you to do. If I were you, I'll do it because I know that you want to be head cheerleader one day. This is your chance to show them that you can be dependable." Rachel insists. "Besides, it's only going to be four of us: you, me, Lucas, and Josh."

Missy rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but none of those names were Chris." She whines again and stomps her feet.

"Chris as in Christopher Chandler? " The question came out of Rachel's mouth as a rhetoric question. "Girl, isn't he on the basketball team? When are you going to give up on chasing this guy? I mean, he probably doesn't know that you exist."

Missy suddenly stops, halting Rachel in the process. "Rachel, tell me you did not just say that." She says.

"I did." Rachel confirms.

"Rachel Davenport White!" She says, causing Rachel to flinch. Rachel never liked to be called by her full name. She hates her middle name, swearing to change it when she gets older. "I am a popular cheerleader. He is the captain of the basketball team. There is no way that he doesn't know me."

"Hey ladies." The voice makes Missy halt in her speech to Rachel. The smirk on Rachel's face proves to Missy that she was correct about one thing: the guy that just spoke to her was none other than Christopher Chandler a.k.a. Chris.

"H..H..He..Hey." Missy stammers, causing Chris to show his million dollar smile to a hundred dollar girl. That's the way Missy liked to think about it.

Christopher Chandler isn't your ordinary school boy. Yeah, he had blonde hair that made every girl go crazy. He had the perfect teeth and athletic body. However, that wasn't what caught Missy's eye. You see, what caught her eye was a mature handsome teenager that was anything but easy. Chris is your typical nice guy turned freak. Freak as in _bed perfecter_. Rumors are rumors, because Christopher Chandler is still a virgin...but no one knows that.

"You're pretty." Chris complements Missy. He is about to walk away, but he stops when he remembers something. "Oh, and it looks like we'll be seeing more of each other." With that, he walks away leaving a quiet Missy.

"Missy! Missy! Hey, girl..." Rachel says. She makes dog sounds. "Missy, yoo hoo!"

Missy's face goes red, suddenly feeling damp in her underwear. "Um, I need to go to the bathroom." She quickly blurts out before dashing to the ladies room.

Rachel just stands there with a confused face. "Um...okay."

"What's okay?" Suddenly Zay appears next to Rachel. Rachel rolls her eyes at the boy, trying to play it cool in front of him. What? She likes him, but she don't need Zay or anyone finding out about that. Zay throws his hands into the air. "Okay, okay! Geez, what did I do?" As soon as Zay said that, he walks away.

Rachel waits until he turns the corner to scream in excitement. "Eeek!"

"Wow." Riley says, when she and Maya appear next to Rachel. "You sound like you just met the cutest boy ever."

Rachel dramatically flips her hair. "Girl, you have no idea."

Maya shakes her head, unimpressed. "We can never figure out that girl." She acknowledges.

"Speaking of figuring out things—" Riley begins to speak but is suddenly cut off by someone approaching them.

"Hey sis." It came out of Josh's mouth more bitter than Riley would have liked. "The sister that I love. The sister that I depend on. The sister that knows almost all of my secrets."

"Okay, dude, where is this going?" Lucas ask from beside him.

Josh turns to Lucas. "You know where this is going." He says then turns to Maya. "I have to agree: Riley did a good job sneaking you into my dorm. Asking my best buddy for help...please. Did you not think I'd catch on?" He ask his sister.

"Well—"

"Well nothing." He cut off his twin. He turns to Lucas. "Come on, dude. We might be in a trap right now." He say as they walk away.

Riley sighs. She really did mess up. Not much though, because it seemed like Lucas was okay with it. Riley catches him mouthing 'sorry' to her before he turns around keeps following the jerk of her brother.

Riley turns to Maya. "So what exactly happened that night?" She ask Maya.

Maya shakes her head. "Nothing, Riles."

Riley folds her arms, not believing her best friend not one bit. "Nothing my ass."

Maya takes a look at Riley's behind. "Yeah, I agree." She turns it into a joke which made Riley gasp.

"Ladies!" The voice startles both Maya and Riley.

"Farkle!" Both girls yell.

His hands quickly fly into the air out of surrender. "Geesh. Sorry." Farkle Minkus is a smart and nerdy but handsome sophomore at Flakesville College. The college is high on astronomy, which is what he wants to study and have a career for. "I was just here to tell you guys that I am joining you guys on the trip." He explains.

"Are you serious?!" Riley exclaims, hugging Farkle. She pulls away. "But how?"

"Well," Farkle shrugs. "The football team needed a water boy, and I needed to get close to you two...so I signed up to be the water boy and here I am. I am Flakesville newest water boy."

Maya nods. "Well, that's cool. But what happened to that other one. Um, what was his name—"

"Mark?" Farkle ask. "Aw," He throws his hands out dissmissingly. "He quit as soon as the season started. Something about reputation?"

Maya makes a face. "A reputation that he doesn't have. He was a nerd." She says and laughs. "What? Did he give up his spot to keep his nerdy life?"

Farkle laughs. "You tell me." He says before he pulls Maya into a hug, which in return Maya quickly pulled away. "Sorry, I just wanted a hug. You didn't give me my hug, and you know that I really like my hugs." He says before he walks away.

Riley turns to Maya. "Okay, so that was...weird. Not totally weird, though. I'm happy that Farkle is coming with us on this trip to the Mighty Duck's game, but I'm sad that Mark isn't coming. He wasn't that bad of a water boy." Riley folds her arms.

"If you call dropping the bucket of water on the floor not bad, then I just don't know what's wrong with you." Maya says and walks off, leaving an offended Riley behind.

 **{*****}**

"Agh!" Josh grunts as he push up the weights. "76, 77, 78..."

Suddenly, it seems like the weight was lifted off of Josh. And in reality, it was. "Josh, you need to calm down." Lucas says as he places the weights on the bar slightly above Josh and slight under Lucas. "I don't know what's got you all worked up, but whatever it is needs to be gone. Let it go."

Josh puts on a stern face. "Let the fact that my sister let Maya sneak into my dorm...our dorm...you want me to let that go?" Lucas looks at how Josh seemed really pissed about the situation. But that's thing that Lucas didn't get at all: why is it such a big deal?

"Why is it such a big deal for Maya to sneak into our dorm?" He asks, looking at his best friend intently.

"I don't know." Josh says then shrugging. In all honesty, Josh can't understand why it's such a big deal. He doesn't want it to be a big deal, but it's like he can't let it go. The fact that Maya wanted them alone scares the crap out of him. "I just...man, why did she come in there? It's like...she wanted us alone. The way that she was talking, and then she started to slowly unbutton her shirt—"

"Wait!" Lucas exclaims. "She tried to get freaky with you!"

Lucas's outburst causes everyone to look at them, causing Josh to pull Lucas into an isolated area. "Yeah." Josh admits. "And, it scares me. She wanted to do the dirty, and it took all of my power to push her away. Luke, she's my sister's best friend. My sister will never forgive me, if I took advantage of Maya like that."

"Dude, this is huge." Lucas says. "Does Riley know what happened?"

"I highly doubt it." Josh says, shaking his head. "I know Maya. She doesn't like everybody to be in her business. Riley is an exception, but I am too. She wouldn't want to hurt Riley's feelings."

"I'm proud of you for that." Lucas comforts Josh. "For not taking advantage of Maya. We're nineteen and supposed to be going out to parties and having fun, taking advantage of girls. But, we won't be like that. Well, I'm not going to be like that. You on the other hand..." Lucas makes a face, which makes Josh burst into laughter.

"I love you dude. You know that?" Josh says when the laughter subsided.

Lucas let out a fake gasp and placed his hands on his heart. "Oh, you love me? I didn't know. What did I do to deserve such an honor." He chuckles the continues, "Just if you're having dirty minds, I don't roll like that and I—" Lucas is cut off by Josh hugging him. "Wow, this is actually a pretty good bro-hug. Too good for my liking."

Josh laughs. "Shut up, you goof."

 **{*****}**

Josh, Lucas, and Billy are sitting at a bench outside of the college, waiting for thirty more minutes until their next period began. They make small talk and watch as some of the most prettiest girls walked by them, winking at them.

"Dude, she totally just winked at you." Billy says as he watched the mysterious pretty girl walk into the entrance doors. "If I were you, I'd hurry and get on that."

"And if I were you, I'd stop making a PLAY-List!" Josh retorts. "Besides, who do you have on there anyways?"

Billy shakes his head. "It's nobody you know." Billy lies, knowing that Missy is number one on that list.

"What's up, guys!" This guy blocks the light from the sun, making them look up with one of their hands shielding some of the sunlight.

Josh balls his fist and gives the guy a dap (knuckle to knuckle..another gesture of saying what's up or hi).

"Wow...I the three hottest sophomores all gathered around me." Billy mumbled.

"Huh?" Lucas didn't quite here it, and Billy wasn't in the mood to repeat it so he just shrugged off.

It's a tie between Lucas, Joshua, and..."Chris! What's up, man. How has basketball season been treating you?" Josh asks as they do a handshake.

"It's been hard. We don't have great players on the team, and we're losing like every game so that's why I told the coach that I wanted off the team." Chris explains. "If I'm the only one carrying the team, there's no way in hell we're going to the championship game."

Josh nods. "I feel you, bro." He says. "So, what's your backup?"

"Welllll—"

"Chris!" Everybody turns their head to see the football coach, Coach Whitney. "Get over here! I need to talk to you."

Chris gives the boys an apologetic look before running to where Coach Whitney stood.

"Why would Coach Whitney want him?" Josh ask, watching as Chris shook hands with their coach.

"Beats me." Both Lucas and Billy say at the same time.

"Hey boys!" The boys turn their heads to see Rachel, Missy, Maya, and Rachel walking towards the entrance doors. Rachel continues, "Lucas! Josh! Don't forget our meeting!" She calls out loud enough for the boys to hear, which they did.

"Speaking of Lucas, what is this going around that he and Josh made a sex tape?" Missy asks.

Riley rolls her eyes. "Haha, how funny!" She says as they enter The _Flakesville Manufacturing Building_. "Though, that would be cool to watch IF JOSH WASN'T MY TWIN BROTHER! Anyways, I heard that you and Chris had a...talk."

"Yeah, and it was hilarious how Missy just froze and didn't talk." Rachel includes.

"I know. I made a complete fool of myself." Missy complains. "I even wet myself." As soon as that escaped Missy's mouth, the girls gasps. "But, how could you not? He was looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes and pretty smile. Besides, I know you do it when you see Lucas, Riley." Missy implies.

Riley blushes. "No." She lies, making the girls purse their lips together in disbelief. "Okay, fine. Just a little, but I don't make it obvious. The other day, when he came over to get a pot from the top kitchen drawer, I couldn't help but to stare at him. Good he didn't catch me staring, though. But, it's a little crush. Nothing major." But in reality, it was Super Major for Riley.

"Nothing major?" Rachel questions. "Let me tell you something that you do know: Lucas is REALLY cute. He's like the hottest guy in this school." Maya clears her throat, halting Rachel from her talking. "Okay, he is tied with Josh." Missy clears her throat too. "Alright, there's a three-way tie with Lucas, Josh, and Chris who are all mighty fine! You guys need to grow some balls and let them know that you want them. That you're craving for them!"

"But, we don't have balls. Better yet, we can't grow balls." Maya says.

"I know that. I was just...ugh! Courage. Have some courage!" Rachel exclaims.

"So, who do you like Rachel?" Riley ask. "Because earlier, it seemed like you were into somebody. Who is it?"

"Nobody you know." Rachel lies before she slips into her next college class.

* * *

 **A/N: We found out why Riley has a crush on Lucas. We kind of found out why Rachel has a crush on Zay. And we not-so-really found out why Maya likes Josh. And, Missy...loves Chris. Oh, and we also found out that Billy has Missy on his LIST. If you liked this chapter, you sure will like the next with delays and all sort of secrets.**

 **Oh, and also the Maya slipping into Josh/Lucas dorm scene will be revisited in a later chapter. Don't worry. You'll get to see how it went down in further detail :D**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow**

 **TheRealSkystorm**


	3. My Secret About You

**A/N: We all know that every relationship has to come with problems and soon that will happen. As for now, both parties need to develop the feels for each other in which I believe this chapter does a great job at. You will finally see how Lucas sees Riley, and how Chris sees Missy, and how Zay sees Rachel, and how Josh sees Maya, and WHY Maya has a crush on Josh that MAY turn into something even more.**

 _ **Guest**_ : _I remember this from the first time around. Is this revamped version the exact same as the last? Because I remember hating some of Joshaya's relationship. Sorry to bust the other Guest's bubble but Maya didn't lose her virginity to Josh and I remember hating knowing that._

 **I can't give away anything, but it's revamped for a reason. I have created up to 22 chapters due to me already having these posted, so it looks the same but I have switched out sentences-grammar correction-and I have added some parts in there that wasn't there at first. But hear it from me personally...Joshaya was heavily favored in this story and many voiced their concerns over their focus. While I do have to focus on other couples, I am making an effort to essentially recreate their love story...You'll see.**

 _ **Mystery Girl**_ : _Would it also be possible for you to add in smackle? Like once a blue moon with farkle maybe. I just really love hem together and it'll be nice if you incorporated them into the story. You don't have to its just a suggestion. Love the story so far_

 **Farkle unfortunately won't be a big part in this story until like WAAAAY down the line. When I first created this story, I treated my story like a series where there will be a "New Season". Farkle was in S2 with a girl not named Smackle but you'll probably like her.**

 **TheRealSkystorm**

* * *

Chapter III: _**My Secret About You...Tucked In Your Pocket**_

Pretty smile. Beautiful brown eyes. Perfect brown hair. Kissable cheeks. Lovable, soft, and sweet skin. Mesmerizing beauty. Cute figure. Beaming sundress. The right color of flip flops. Contagious giggle. Rub-able nose. Perfect-size ears. Chicken legs. Flexible arms. Twirl-able tongue. Milky lips. Compress hands. Long fingers.

These were all the things Lucas saw in this beautiful picture of Riley put into a frame that was standing upright on their kitchen's counter. It was a picture of Riley at _DisneyWorld_ in her yellow sundress, licking an ice cream cone. A picture that Josh was proud of taking.

"Yo, Lucas!" At the sound of his name, Lucas quickly moves his hand away from the picture. Josh walks out of the small hallway with a stuffed suitcase, having packed for the trip to the game. He is wearing black shorts with a white t-shirt with white nikes. It's a guy thing. "Dude, what were you doing? Why are you standing there looking all...weird?"

Lucas laughs, playing it off. "It was nothing, Josh." He says and grabs his bag. "Are you ready?" It wasn't a question for Josh to answer, seeing as Lucas quickly walked to the door.

"Oh, bro, we have to get pillows." Josh suddenly remembers. He runs to his bedroom, grabbing both of his pillows on his bed before reappearing in the living room. "Thanks to me, now you won't have a crook in your neck."

If the team wanted to make the game, they were going to have to leave at night. Some cheerleaders weren't cool with that, complaining to their captains about their different sleeping habits. But, it was done. It could not be changed. The girls were just going to have to suck it up and get on that bus or they could be kicked off the team. No cheerleader wanted that, apparently.

"So, are you guys on your way?" Riley speaks into the phone. Her brother has a habit of running late for everything. Thankfully, he wan't running late for this one only because Lucas was there to get them out. "Josh? Josh? He did not just hang up on me!"

"I mean, you are bugging him too much." Missy admits. "Maybe he is on his way and he hung up because he wanted to surprise you with his first on-time accomplishment." Missy tries to defend Josh. "Besides, we all know WHY you keep calling him." Missy looks Riley up and down and folds her arms over her too big blue Flakesville t-shirt.

Riley glares at Missy as Rachel and Maya laugh. "And we all know WHY you're wearing a big t-shirt." Riley says. "It covers most of your legs and you don't have any pants on, and you just hope Chris is here to tell you goodbye before he sticks his hands under that shirt. So, I don't think you should be worrying about me right now."

"Did you basically just call me a slut?" Missy exclaims.

"Girl, yes. Yes, she did!" Rachel instigates, causing Riley to throw her a glare her way.

"That's it!" Missy shouts before launching herself towards Riley. She successfully pounces on Riley like a tiger about to eat its prey. Rachel and Maya look at each other with wide eyes before running to break up the two. Unfortunately, mostly everyone was outside; the people inside were either in the restrooms or in the vending machine area. This leaving no one to help Rachel and Maya pry Missy off of Riley.

Missy grabs Riley's hair and begins trying to yank it off her skull. "Yeah, who's the slut now Riley?" Missy says through her gritted teeth.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Two voices shout and both owners run and break up the two.

"Riley, calm down." Josh says into his sister's ear as she tried so desperately to get out of her brother's arms. "Riley! Stop, calm down!" He kept trying to get her to stop thrashing about. "Riley, seriously, stop. You're going to kick me somewhere no man wants to be kicked with you squirming like a freaking mad four year old."

On the other side, Chris held Missy as she did the same. "Missy, calm down. Hey, look at me." Chris says, forcing her to look at him with his hands moving her head. "Calm. Down."

Thankfully, that halts Missy's temper-tantrum.

"Okay, what happened?" Josh asks both girls. Riley and Missy didn't say anything; the only thing they did was glare at each other. If anything, they knew that telling Josh what happened would be harmful to both seeing as Missy likes Chris and Riley likes Lucas.

"Okay, here is what happened." Rachel has to be the blabber-mouth. "Riley basically called Missy a slut, and Missy was upset so they fought it out."

"I thought you two were best friends." Josh asks. "Okay, but why did Riley call her a slut?"

Riley sighs, "I never called her a slut. She just interpreted it as that."

"Oh ok, I'm apparently stupid now..." Missy says and rolls her eyes. "Riley, you were calling me a slut! Just admit it!"

Riley shakes her head. "No, that's not what I meant to call y—"

"BUT YOU DID!" Missy interrupts.

Missy walks over to Riley, shaking her head. "That wasn't right, Riles." Her voice begins to crack.

Chris uses his hands for comfort as he rubbed them up and down Missy's back. "Hey, let's go talk."

"If you'd ask me, I think you're over reacting." Maya says in defense of Riley.

Missy sends a glare to Maya. "But I didn't ask you, b*tch!"

Josh gulps, "Uh oh."

"Who are you calling b—"

Just then, Josh jumps in between the two women. "Hey hey hey! How about everyone go take a chill pill." He suggests.

The sight in front of Josh seems like an absolute mess; it feels like a tornado came and tore a hole in the center of the hall. Missy is on one side, secured protectively by Chris. Raven is standing there very awkwardly. Meanwhile, Maya is standing in front Riley, almost daring Missy to come meet her in a battle.

"Alright," Raven starts speaking to try and cut the obvious high-level tension. "How about we go board the bus and let this all simmer down?" She lets out a nervous laugh before continuing, "You know us girls...we say something stupid, we fight, and then we kiss & make up." Rachel stands in the center of the hall, looking back and forth. It seems like her prep talk didn't work, because the girls are still looking at each other like the other was prey. "Guys..." Rachel tries again.

Missy lets out a sigh, "Fine."

Josh turns his head to Rachel and winks. _'Thank you'_ , He mouths to her.

Missy turns to Chris. "Thank you." She thanks him. "Let's go before I lose it again."

Josh whips around to Riley. "Okay, why did you call her a slut...I mean, not a slut?" He whispers.

"Because she wore that big ass t-shirt that almost covers her entire body only for Chris." Riley whisper-shouts. Well, that's what she thought she did until Missy begins storming over to her. "Welp, it's out there now. She heard me. Yeah, I said it. And I wouldn't put it past her to not be wearing shorts under that shirt either. So, Chris?" Riley turns to Chris. "I hope you have a field day before we leave tonight."

Emotions are at an ALL time high.

"Riley, you are so dead!" Missy yells. "I never told your brother that you had a crush on his best friend. Why tell my crush?"

Josh's mouth flies open. "Don't tell me you have a crush on Billy. Oh hell no!" Josh exclaims, causing Maya to laugh. She likes that side of him; the older protective brother that she knew he could be to her best friend. "Not gonna happen."

Riley almost did a double-take. "No, doofus. I have a crush on..." Riley didn't want to say. At first, she didn't care but then she was like...no, not the right timing.

"Go ahead and say it, Riley." Missy says. "Fine! I'll say it. She has a crush on Lucas."

Josh's mouth opens wider, scaring Riley for what was about to go down. Josh couldn't believe it. His twin sister had a crush on his...well, twin. He and Lucas act almost alike other than the girl's he have fun with. It's like...totally unbelievable in Josh's eyes. How can his sister have a crush on his best friend? Well duh, Josh, Lucas isn't an ugly guy.

"Josh, please don't be mad." Riley pleads. Josh looks down at his sister before forcing his eyes to shut and shaking his head. He couldn't believe this. The guy his sister has a crush on just happens to be his best friend.

"Oh, hey guys!" Everyone turn their heads to see Lucas standing there with red shorts and a white t-shirt with red Nikes. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing!" Everyone but Chris replies, who was still shocked...not at the fact that she has a crush on him because even he seen that...no, it's the fact that she didn't know that he was going on the trip and that now she has a chance to try and sit next to him on the best wearing nothing but a big shirt and panties. Something a man would die for...something Chris wouldn't die for...it's something Chris wanted to wait for.

"Well, everybody is boarding the bus." Lucas says, pointing to the outside. "We better hurry or we'll be sitting in the front with the coach. I don't think anybody wants that."

 **{*****}**

The night air was cold, forcing Missy and Rachel to combine forces as they wait for the bus driver as he puts everyone's luggage or bags under the bus. Josh still was in disbelief. His sister can't have a crush on his best friend. It can't be true.

Josh couldn't wait anymore. He had to get answers.

"Riley," Josh says low enough for no one to hear them. Missy and Rachel stood far back, while Maya stood right behind Riley and Josh with headphones in her ears. Lucas, on the other hand, stood side-by-side to Chris in front of Riley and Josh. "Tell me what you said wasn't true." Josh needs to know if what his sister said was true. It couldn't be true. A simple nodding of her head confirmed it.

Josh let out a horrifying groan low enough for no one to hear but Riley.

"Josh, I—"

"Riley, I don't think you should do this." Josh admits. "Going out with my best friend. What if you two go out then break up? How am I suppose to be best buddies with my sister's ex? It would be ludicrous for me to be best friends with the guy I need to beat up, because he hurt my sister. Riley, you're all I have up here. Dammit, this cannot be happening."

"OMG! Stop talking like that." Riley wants to slap her brother in the head. "You got me, Maya, and no matter what happens I'm sure you'll have Lucas. And, we're talking as if I'm already in a relationship with him. This is just a crush. Josh, would you please wake up?" Riley softly exclaims. "I am going to like boys. Boys like Lucas. You want to know why. It's because boys like him don't always come around. He's cute, sexy—"

Josh holds his hand out for Riley to stop. "I don't need to know all that about my best friend. Next thing I know, you'll be telling me your midnight sex dreams you have of him." He makes a gawking sound and shivers at the thought.

Riley slaps his chest. "I'm serious. He is sweet, kind, caring, dependable..." Riley sighs. "Josh, you may not like the fact that I have a girl crush on your best friend that will probably go away sooner or later, but—"

Josh scoffs. "I doubt it." He says, putting his hands on his hips. Riley throws him a glare. He gestures to Lucas. "I mean, have you took a good look at this guy? It would be hard to believe if I told you that he never has had a girlfriend in his life. He had a girl friend but not a girlfriend."

"I knew that already." Riley laughs. "He told me. But even if he didn't, you can look at the way he carries himself." The line moves, causing everybody to walk forward.

Josh sighs. "Okay." He says, slinging an arm around his sister. "I'll accept the fact that you have a tiny-weenie crush on my favorite pal."

Riley shakes her head. "No. I lied about that." She says as the driver takes their bags. "I think I have a major crush on him." She admits.

Josh put a hand on his face before sliding it down. "This is not good at all. We'll talk later. Come on before we miss this bus talking about ole Ranger Rick as Maya likes to call him." After the mention of her name, Josh takes a look back at Maya who just gives him an awkward smile before passing him to get on the bus. Riley walks right behind her and Josh lets out a sigh, realizing that he needed to deal with his own problems.

Missy watches as Chris, Lucas, and Josh got onto the bus together. Her eyebrows come together in confusion. "I didn't know Chris was going." Missy tells Rachel.

"Coach Whitney did say something about getting a new running back, but I didn't have a clue on who it was going to be." Rachel admits.

Missy groans. "This is going to make it all worse." She whines. "He now knows that I have a crush on him. How am I going to get onto that bus with him in it the whole time?"

Rachel laughs as she hands the driver their bags. "Oh, stop worrying. You can avoid him. We'll sit together, okay." Rachel proposes. Missy sighs. Rachel puts her hands on Missy's shoulders. "Missy, you are going to get through this, alright?"

Missy nods. "Yeah, you're right." She says. "Besides, I don't have to sit next to him so it shouldn't be so bad..."

 **{*****}**

Missy's face was cold and dull as she stared at the back of the seat in front of her. She could not make eye contact with the person sitting next to her. It was like the devil made sure that these two sat next to each other.

"So...um...just to be sure...haha..." The laugh from Chris came out nervous. "...you are wearing shorts, right?"

Missy groans and closes her eyes, allowing her head to hit the seat in front of her. "Ugh, kill me now." She mumbles.

The bus suddenly stops at 1:47 in the morning. Most people are asleep but a few aren't. "What do you mean something is wrong with engine?" Coach Whitney is busy arguing with the bus driver, while the remaining awake people listen carefully. And the only people awake are: Missy, Chris, Josh, Maya, Riley, and Zay. Everyone else was asleep.

Josh groans, because 1: he can't go to sleep seeing that he has two things on his mind...and 2: the engine just ruined their fun little team road trip. A movie is what put most people to sleep, but it didn't put some of them to sleep. Let's just say, even as teenage-adults, you can never get enough of the High School Musical Series.

As for Riley, she also had two things on her mind...1: her brother and how he's dealing with the fact that she had a crush on his best friend turned twin...and 2: the way she did things with Missy.

Unfortunate for Missy, her riding buddy was up and awake. Both she and Chris were thinking about the same thing. Chris was scared that Missy'll try to _touch him_ while he slept, even though it sounded ridiculous. Missy was scared that she'd say something humiliating in her sleep, so forget sleep is how she put it.

Zay was quiet as he watched Rachel sleep. She looked so pretty to him. He wanted to kiss her lips, but he couldn't. He believes that she doesn't feel the same way; he didn't want to put himself at risk of being the front page of the Flakesville Idiotic People newspaper.

Riley looks over at Josh, who tried so hard to sleep while his ' _twin_ _brother'_ slept peacefully beside him. Riley couldn't help hut notice the smile on his face as he slept with his head on a pillow that laid on the back of his seat.

"Anybody awake back here?" Coach Whitney ask as he slowly walks to the back. "Oh, okay, so don't freak out. There is an engine on the way. Luckily, we stopped by a service station and there is an auto store just down the road. So, you six can get up and go walk into the service station if you like." He tells them before nodding his head and leaving.

Josh looks at everybody else intently before he shrugs and stands up, stretching his legs. He turns to Riley. "You want anything, Riles?" He ask and Riley nodded, but he already knew what she liked. "I know. I know. A Twinkie." He turns to Maya, who looked like she was out of it. "And you like...Spicy Nacho Doritos, am I correct?" He didn't wait for an answer before he quickly walks off the bus.

"Are you okay?" Riley ask Maya, and Maya nodded.

"Yeah, I just...I think I screwed up me and your brother's relationship. I mean, the little relationship that we had." Maya admits. Riley is still left in the dark on their situation, but Riley knew that whatever it was...it was hurting Maya more and more each day, every time she looked at him.

Riley didn't ask. She just slings her arm around her best friend's shoulder and hug her. "I think you two will make up eventually. Don't stress over it. If I know anything about my brother, he forgives a lot easier than I do...unless you hurt me, which you and I both know is impossible." She laughs. "I think you two are still on a good note, regardless of what happened even though you won't fill me in on it." Riley throws a little of shade.

Maya rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I just don't want us to leave on a bad note." She sighs, "Speaking of bad notes, how is your brother feeling about the situation with you having a crush on Lucas?" Maya asks.

"Well..." That's the thing. Riley wasn't sure at all. She really didn't know what to say. Her brother seemed upset then okay then upset again. She couldn't explain how her brother felt. "...I don't know. I just wish that he'd see from my point of view. It's going to be hard having a conversation with Lucas, knowing that my brother could have told him about my crush on him at any second of the day."

"Well, you're in a better situation than I am." Maya admits.

As soon as Maya said that, it was like a light bulb had appeared above Riley's head. "That's it!" She exclaims, low enough not to wake anybody. Before Maya could say anything, Riley stands up, crosses the middle section that divided the sides, and sits in one of the two seats next to her that was only occupied by a sleeping Lucas.

"Riley, what are you doing?" Maya says through her gritted teeth.

Riley smiles. "Fixing a problem that should've been fixed a long time ago."

"Riley, what—"

"Hey...um...Riley, what are you doing in my seat?" Josh ask, towing a plastic bag.

Riley grabs her brother's shirt, pulling him down to her level. "Maya is hurting." She mumbles only loud enough for Josh to hear it. "I can see that. And if you can't see that, then you're stupid. She is my best friend and I refuse to let her mope around like she has been doing for the past few days. She hasn't been herself." Riley eyes Maya who was busy shuffling through music on her phone. "Get over there and fix it." _Fix it_ came out demanding & rough but loud & clear, which got Josh really scared.

He turns to Maya with a little smile on his face. "Haha. Hey." It was nervous laugh.

Meanwhile, Missy and Chris sit uncomfortably next to each other. Neither one of them wanting to say a word to each other. It also doesn't help that hat Missy does not in fact have shorts underneath.

But they knew that sometime...talking was the only way that they were going to fix this.

"So..." Both of them say at the same time. They look at one another then shake their head. "No, you go first." Both say at the same time again.

Chris laughs. "Okay, I just need to clear the air here." He says. "I know that you have a crush on me and all, and I'm not going to torture you because of it. So, you got a crush on me and I think you're very pretty. I hope that makes us even."

Missy's face was still cold, and she wasn't reacting which scared the crap out of Chris. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. "Thank you." Missy says before Chris could continue speaking. "I know that the crush thing hit you harder than you expected, and I want to apologize for that."

Chris put his hand on Missy's arm. "No, no, no, no, it's fine. Don't apologize." He commands. "We can't control how we feel about someone else. We can't control our hormones. They're just there. I just want you to know that I'm okay with you having a crush on me."And, Chris was telling the truth. He didn't care at all that Missy was crushing on him, because it was cute. She was cute. And, this wasn't the first time a girl had interest in him.

"Thanks. Again." She says. "I...um..." Missy's eyes start to get watery. "I don't know why I act out sometimes. I was wrong for what I did to Riley, you know. You may see me as a crazy chick right now."

Chris laughs and shakes his head. "No, I see you as a beautiful crazy person. Everyone has their moments." He says. "I have mine time to time. We're human. We're going to make mistakes. It's the matter of apologizing for that mistake."

"So you're cute and a good speech giver. I must've hit the jackpot today." Missy jokes.

"You're pretty, you know that." Chris says looking into her eyes intently.

"Thanks. You told me three times already." Missy says.

"Well, I'd tell you again but I'd rather do something else instead." He says and quickly pecks her lips. "There. Now, will you finally go to sleep. You look like a freaking zombie right now."

 _Did he just..? Wait...what?_ Missy was still shocked from the kiss that she almost forgot to respond. _Play it cool, Missy_...she told herself... _It was just a quick peck._

Missy gasps. "That is so mean. And zombies are ugly."

Chris laughs. "Okay then...You're a cute zombie." He says, grabbing his pillow and positioning it to sit perfectly on the back of his head. Missy swats at his arm and he laughs again. _Oh my gosh, that laugh!_ She thought to herself. _It's so cute._ "Now, will you go to sleep? Because, sleep watching isn't cute and I get real flustered when people do that."

Missy chuckles, "You're so funny when you don't try to be."

Chris smiles, "Who said I wasn't trying." He readjust his pillow for the second time. "Now, go to sleep." He lets out a yawn. "We got a big day tomorrow."

Missy couldn't help but smile. The first time since she got on this bus, she felt...complete.

Back to Joshua and Maya...

"Listen," Josh is now seated and Maya has her headphones off like Josh had ordered. "Whatever happened that day shouldn't strain what we have."

Maya nod. "I agree." She agrees, but then she felt as if she needed more to say. "I'm sorry for...acting out."

Josh shakes his head, "You're Maya. Acting out is in your blood."

Maya chuckles then shakes her head. "Seriously though, in all honesty...I was only doing it, because it's hard seeing you with every girl. I see girls hopping on your back asking for piggy rides, when I know not too long ago I seen them hopping on other's backs and kissing some other guy. These girls run around and get any guy they want, but I'm stuck here. It's like we have this awkward normal relationship."

"But that's thing, Maya." Josh says, lying a hand on her lap which sent a shock wave through both Josh and Maya. Josh quickly moves his hand and continues. "We have a normal relationship. That's our thing! We have a sister-brother relationship that no one can break. It's gonna get super awkward if we start anything, not that I want to." He admits.

Maya sighs, "Exactly! You never want to sit down and try things out, but you have all these girls throwing their panties at you." Maya exclaims. "And I'm sitting here. I want that type of attention too, Josh. Can't you see it: I have a crush on you. It's a crush that seems like it could never go away." Josh gulps as Maya keeps speaking. "I had this crush since we were in eighth grade, Josh. You never paid any attention to me to even care. I'm sorry, but it's how I feel."

"Maya, I've always known you had a crush on me." Josh says. "I would be a complete moron not to see it. Every time I walked into my home, you'd say something slick that my parents or Riley never caught on to...I always knew Maya." He sighs, "But I just don't feel the same way." Maya shifts uncomfortably. "Maya, you're a beautiful girl."

"But..." Maya adds in for him. "There's always a 'but' with me. Every single relationship I had, it was because of me. I wouldn't be shocked if this was because of me too." Maya had tears coming out of her eyes. "Relationships suck! It's not fair."

"Maya, come here." Josh held Maya in his arms. Riley tries her best to keep an eye on the two. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she's glad that they were hugging. "I'll make you this deal." He whispers into her hair. "When I'm ready for someone like you to be in my life, I'll come knocking at your door."

She pulls away with a wet smile on her face. "Seriously?" She asks. "Are you being honest?"

"Honest as I can be." Josh admits. "You're like a sister to me. I never saw you more than that, but you're right. I have been looking over you and it's not fair. But, I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship with anybody right now. I just need to feel it. You know. And—"

Josh is cut off by Maya attacking his lips. Well, she wasn't really attacking him. She just planted a long lustfull kiss on his lips in which Josh did not object. Once done, Maya wipes the corner of her lips with a smile still on her face. "I'll be waiting." He says before she turns around lies her head on her pillow and putting her headphones in.

Josh sits in his seat, holding his lips. For some odd reason, that kiss was out of the ordinary. It wasn't a natural kiss, according to Josh. It was a special kiss, and oddly his heart starts to beat more as he thought of it.

Could Maya be right?

Could he seriously be looking over the one girl that he's known all of is life?

...And then there were two...

Riley watches as Lucas stir. The bus hasn't moved yet, causing the coach to worry. Lucas opens his eyes only to see Riley staring into his. He jumps up. "Oh, hey Riley. What happened to your...um...brother?" Lucas couldn't hide a lot of things...just like his reaction to Riley sitting next to him. He was a little antsy for some reason.

"He traded spots with me." Riley says. She turns her head and watches as Josh slept peacefully on the window with Maya lying on his shoulder. "And pillows too, apparently."

"So...um...okay...sleep tight." Lucas quickly says and closes his eyes, but Riley wasn't letting him off the hook that easy.

"Lucas," Lucas opens his eyes at the sound of Riley's voice. "If you ever had to give a description of the perfect girl, what will it be?"

Lucas smiles. "That's easy." He says. "I have a thing for blondes." That didn't set great in her stomach. "So, I would have to say that she is blonde. Let her be funny but not know that she is funny. I'd like her to have chicken legs and beautiful brown eyes. And, I'd want her to have a laugh that's so contagious and loving." Wait a minute! He was basically explaining Riley only with blonde hair. "Her smile will be beautiful. I'd want her to be quirky, and I wouldn't mind a little clumsiness." A smile appears on Riley's face, because she know that Lucas was totally for her. "And I'd want her to do something she's passionate about. Not because someone made her do it."

Riley smiles. "Wow, that's a lot of details." She says.

Lucas blushes and tries to hide it. "Yeah, it's nothing." He says.

"How about the perfect kiss?" Riley asks. "What would you want that moment to be or to feel like?

"Um...these are weird questions...but okay." Lucas laughs. "Well, I'll want her to stare right into my eyes and just go for it, you know. I don't believe in all that other stuff, because the eyes tell it all about how a person feels."

Just then, Riley did something she thought she wouldn't be able to do. She kissed Lucas...on the cheek (GOT YOU)!

Lucas smiles. "What was that for?" He ask with a blush visible on his cheeks.

"Good luck for tonight's game." Riley says before she puts her head on her brother's pillow. "Goodnight."

Lucas just smiles and shakes his head.

"{Snore} Farkle! Farkle! Farkle! Farkle! Farkle! {Snore} Farkle! Farkle! Farkle! Farkle! Farkle!"

Riley's head jumps up at the sleep-talking teenage-adult sleeping behind her. "Are you kidding me?" She exclaims.

Lucas shrugs. "Could be worse." He says.

Just then a whole bus full of snores erupted. Instead of Riley feeling like she was on Cloud 9 with the most cutest boy at school in her eyes, she felt like she was on Dark 0: a place for depressing and moody people...just like she was going to be with the lack of sleep.

 **{*****}**

"WHOOOOO! Let's go, Snowbears! Let's go!"

It is now half-time and the Flakesville Snowbears are up by two touchdowns. The players run towards the back, preparing for the second half. Riley, Maya, Missy, and Rachel are all together cheering as the boys go through them to get to the locker room.

"Alright Number 5!" Missy calls out, and Chris winks at her as he passes by.

"Let's gooooo Number 9!" Riley cheers as Lucas passes by who flashes her a quick smile.

"Hey Number 8?!" Maya calls out and Josh turns to look at her. She winks at him and Josh felt his heart beat faster than it ever done before. What was wrong with him?

 **{*****}**

"I take it that you and Josh made up." Riley says more in a questioning way as she and the girls slowly walk to the bus after a hard-fought victory. "You seem happy. I'm glad you're back to normal."

"Yeah we made up. Well, I sort of kissed him too." She says, earning a huge gasp from the other three girls.

"Chris kissed me." Missy adds in.

"I kissed Lucas." The girls went nuts after what Riley just said. She sighs, knowing that they'd find out either way. Might as well continue. "...on the cheek."

"Awe, well that's a step up." Maya says. "So tell me, did Ranger Rick turn into Ranger LoveSick?"

"No," Riley says. "He just blushed but that's all. Ooh, and please don't tell him that I told you that he blushed." Riley turns to Missy. "And I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to humiliate you."

Missy slings an arm around Riley. "It's fine. I forgive you. And I'm sorry for blurting out your crush to your brother. It was kind of selfish and mean." She admits. "But thanks to you...Chris might be totally into me. Ahhh!" She squeals.

"Guys, can I tell you something?" Rachel speaks up after a moment of silence. "I have a crush on this certain boy, but I don't know if it's a temporary crush or a big bug crush. It's just that this boy is funny and knows how to make people feel better, and it kind of turns me on. Just a little." She lies. "Oh what am I kidding...a lot!"

"Oh my gosh, you like ZAY!" Maya shouts.

Rachel didn't say anything.

Missy and Riley gasp. "YOU WHAT!" They exclaim.

* * *

 **A/N: So now the crushes might have turned into a little more. Don't worry, Billy will be appearing in future chapters more often. For now, I didn't have a clear cut reason as to why I need to add him in all of that drama. So that's the good part.**

 **So now the girls know about Rachel and Zay. Now this is going to be a rocket ship in the next chapter, because the girls are going to try and get Rachel to tell Zay about her crush. I mean, why can't she? The other girls did...except Riley.**

 **And for the guest who said this is the same, yes it sorta is! But I added ALOT more to that Joshaya scene and that fight scene in particular.**

 **Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite**

* * *

 **If you have any suggestions, tell me! This is a revamped version and I can add in more stuff. For the development of Billy, it's coming.**

 **~ TheRealSkystorm**


	4. Now Why Would I Do That?

**This chapter title comes from a great Austin & Ally story that I've read called Now Why Would I Do That? by _Thejhamham_! Read the story because it is amazing.**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I love you all! So, two days ago we read a lot that has went on:**

 **1) Maya explains the reason WHY she likes Josh.**

 **2) Chris is practically flirting with Missy.**

 **3) Lucas is in love with Riley but just doesn't know it.**

 **4) The girls found out about Rachel's crush on Zay.**

 **This chapter will cover a lot more from where that came from. Thanks, and please review. ~ TheRealSkystorm**

 **STRONG T for cursing!**

* * *

Chapter IV: _**Now Why Would I Do That?**_

"Rachel, I don't get it. It's not that hard to do. Walk over to him and just tell him." Riley says motioning to Zay who was sitting next to her brother, her crush, the player, and Missy's crush. "And I'd do it right about now. Next class period starts in ten minutes."

"And you're to talk." Rachel says looking Riley up and down. "And I don't know if he'll like me back. What if I go over there in front of all of those boys and make a complete fool of myself?"

"Not too far from it, honey." Missy adds as she redo her lipgloss in her little small circle mirror.

"I'm not gonna take advice from The _Zombie_..." She points to Missy then turns to Riley. "...and the _blonde wannabe_." Rachel felt so great after that. Meanwhile, Missy and Riley both roll their eyes, obviously connecting the dots to figure out that she was talking about their separate personal conversations with Chris and Lucas on the night they left for the game of The Mighty Ducks.

"And then there's you...the _Hot Scaredy Cat_ who's in love with the most easy going guy I have ever met." Maya says as she walks to be side by side with Riley. "Listen, we know that you are having major crush problems but you don't have to be a bitch about it." Maya just tells it like it is. "We are trying to help you not humiliate you."

"Yeah, that's coming from the _Miss Let's Sneak into A Hot Guy's Room_." Rachel barks. "No telling what you did in there!"

"What is your problem today?" Maya ask. "Again. Zay is not our problem; he is yours. Don't pin him on us. You're really pissing me off and honestly I hope he gets to see the real you instead of the fake you." With that, Maya storms off.

Rachel rolls her eyes. "I never liked her anyway." She admits. "Remind me why you're best friends with her."

"And remind me why I'm best friends with you while you're at it." Riley defends Maya.

Rachel scoffs. "Now why would I do that?" She questions, not receiving a verbal response. Riley just shakes her head and walks away from Rachel, who stood in the center of the school's freshly cut grass. "Missy, I need help. Emergency."

Missy puts her mirror into her purse. "Well, I don't think needing help from me is what you need." Missy says and stands. "Rachel, I hate to say this but you really do need help for yourself. I agree with Maya on this one. Don't pin all of your problems on us. We have nothing to do with your crush. If you want him, go get him." Missy explains. She lets out a sigh. "That's all of the advise I got for you. Bye, I have a free period because Mr. Dale isn't here today." Missy walks away, leaving an unsatisfied Rachel.

She groans. "Missy, that's not fair!" She screams. "All you guys do is dump your problems on me! Listen to me for once!"

 **{*****}**

Rachel storms into her second college class: College Algebra I. Her face shows all of her current moods: angry, sad, and lonely. All of those things unfortunately applied to another someone that she was walking over to.

"Alright, you were right. I'm sorry." Rachel apologizes. The brunette beauty turns around, looking for another apology. "And I'm sorry for treating you like crap even though I know that you aren't. Listen Georgia **(See what I did there)** , I didn't really believe you when you came to me with these stories about Riley, Maya, and Missy. I thought they were fake. I thought you were upset about our past." Rachel didn't have the best past relationships, but Flakesville changed that.

The Australian nods reluctantly. "Okay." She says. "I forgive you. So what did Maya do this time? Did she call you a bitch?"

Rachel nods. "Surprisingly, yeah." She tells her. "And Riley has just been pretty all over the place with her drama between her brother and her crush and Missy. Speaking of Missy, she dumps all of her boy problems and drama all on me. It gets to be too much."

"And you see why I tried to get you out of it as soon as I could." Georgia reminds her. "Those girls are bad news. Trust me, I was friends with one of them. Then the other two came and I was blocked out. Then, it came to a certain point when all of them turned against me. It was so horrifying."

Rachel nods. "Yeah, I know how you feel." She says and takes a seat next to Georgia.

"Alright class, today's lesson will be over The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic Numbers and Sequences." Their professor says. "Now, you see...on this board, there are three numbers and..."

"So, I need a favor." Rachel whispers to Georgia, who rolls her eyes. "I'm serious Georgia. It's this boy that I have a crush on and I can't make it stop. No matter how hard I try, it never goes away." These two were not paying any attention to what their professor was teaching.

"Rachel, you can move on to the next girl with your boy drama." Georgia says. "Is this your plan? Act like you've gotten rid of those other three only to join me to get some boy that problem doesn't pay attention to you."

"Georgia, if you don't believe me, meet me outside at noon. I'll show you how I got rid of those three." Rachel promises before putting her attention on Professor Higgins for the reminder of class as Georgia ocasionally eyed Rachel, wondering what had really gone on between these four girls.

 **{*****}**

"Dude, I am so over Julie. Next time I see her, I'm going to humiliate her so bad. She's gonna wanna go run home crying to mommy." Billy makes a promise as he lifts his weights.

Josh shakes his head. "What did she do this time?"

Billy suddenly stops and gives Josh a crazy look. "What doesn't she do?"

"Cooking, cleaning..." Zay pauses. "Shall I go on? I practically live with her, dude. You're my roommate, and all I hear is the constant loud moaning while I try to sleep on the couch."

"How long has Julie been over?" Lucas ask.

"Like every freaking day!" Zay exclaims. "I don't know how it happens. I thought Flakesville security did a perimeter check every night. I guess I'm wrong. Those lazy ass wanna be security guards can go kiss my ass. I have to sleep on the couch, because I can hear the noises loud & clear from my room. At least on the couch, the noises are subsided."

"I mean, it's sex. What can I say? I give it to her...HARD." Billy stands. "It's the only way I know how to...you know. Besides, you're just mad because you can't get laid."

"Oooooh!" Josh instigates. Lucas nudges his best friend in the stomach and shakes his head.

"Okay, yes, I don't get laid every freaking day of the year." Zay states. "I have respect for myself and the beautiful women around me. For you, that might be a different story." Zay was very passionate when he spoke. That's Zay, though. He's a true believer in himself and what he preaches.

Billy scoffs, "Really? Okay Preacher Zay...since you want to preach so bad, how about you preach about Texas." Billy presses his lips together to give it a dramatic effect.

Zay throws down the weights that he was holding. "Keep trying to bring up my past, Billy. Billy Bob. That's all you have on me. And what about your past? Nothing...exactly." Zay looks Billy up and down, even though Billy was taller than him. "Nothing important. All it included was a checklist and late night booty calls, which is basically what you're still doing now-a-days."

"Oh, so you're saying that all I do is go around and have sex with girls." Billy says and then shrugs. "That's fine. At least I stick to one kind."

"Ooh, burn..." Josh exclaims. "Wait. What does he mean by that? Because I took it a whole different way and I just want to make sure I'm on the same page here."

"Josh, will you not do this right now please?" Lucas pleads. "Guys, we can work this out. Let's not do this right now, okay. Don't get kicked out of college because of this stupid fight." He turns to Josh who looked as if he wanted to instigate...again. "Alright, so, tonight, Zay will be in my dorm. Josh, you go to Billy's dorm. How does that sound?" Lucas suggests.

"Now why would I do that?" Josh asks. "I'm not a part of this. So, I don't need to move out of MY dorm because these two a-holes can't get their crap together." Lucas gave a stern look to Josh who threw his towel to the other side of the room. "That's just freaking great!" Josh was upset.

"No objections." Lucas says.

 **{*****}**

"You know, I still don't understand why I have to go sleep at Billy's." Josh continues to complain to Lucas as they walk on the campus's grounds outside.

"Josh, will you stop complaining? Plus, you have to go to work tonight anyways." Lucas explains to him. "You'll only be in there for like seven hours tops."

"Luke, bro." Josh says and puts an arm on Lucas's shoulder. "When I get off at eleven o'clock, I am freaking tired. How do you expect me to get some sleep if Billy and Julie get back together and have some form of make-up sex? Then, I have to get up by seven so that I can get to class by eight."

"Josh, I know dude." Lucas says with a sigh. "I have to be at work in about twenty minutes. So, I need to go but we'll continue this when we get back."

Lucas has a classes in the morning and at night. In the afternoon, he goes to work. He works from twelve o'clock to five o'clock then he goes to sleep for two hours before going to his night classes. At eleven, he is done with his night classes so he goes back home and sleep until seven o'clock in the morning to catch his classes at eight. Then it repeats.

Josh, on the other hand, has a sort-of easier schedule. He goes to classes in the morning and afternoon, then has about three hours before he goes to work. He sleeps as long as he can before he goes to work. He leaves work at eleven then goes home to sleep, only having to wake up at seven to catch his classes at eight. Then it repeats.

"Luke, I'm sorry dude." Josh apologizes. "I know that you're just trying to help and I'm being such a douche about."

Lucas laughs. "I'm glad that you're finally coming to your senses. This is why we're the best of friends." He says and the two go in for a bro-hug. Over Josh's shoulder, Lucas sees Riley and he waves at her. She smiles and waves back. He breaks the hug and nods to the opposite direction. "Um...I gotta go. See you later." And with that, he leaves.

Josh turns around, coming into contact with his sister. "Oh, hey sis!" He calls out to his sister who is down the hall, and Riley waves back. He sends a little wink at Maya, who smiles.

A wink was all Josh knew to do, considering that kiss still being something that affected him til this day. His vibe has been feeling off in such a weird and unknown way; he doesn't know if it's a good or bad thing, but he does know it's...something.

"I'm glad that you and Josh worked things out. You two seem happy." Riley tells Maya.

Maya nods. "Yeah." She says. "He made me a promise that I'm most defiantly hoping he keeps. I feel like he's the love of my life even if he doesn't realize it." Maya admits. "I believe that's why I'm content with what he told me."

"So, why don't you tell me..." Riley nudges Maya in her side. "...what Josh promised you."

Maya looks Riley up and down. "Now why would I do that?" She asks. Riley is about to speak, but Maya continues. "Look, we're best friends. We are like sisters, but I'll have to ask Josh if it's okay. I don't want to embarrass him, so...ask your brother."

Riley puts on a confused face, "Wait why would it embarrass him?" Riley lets out a gasp, "Wait did he-"

Maya quickly shakes her head, "No! Nothing like that. But, what he said would come off kind of douchey to a normal person...but to me, it's exactly what I needed to hear...because I knew it was coming from a place of emotion and honesty."

"You are so not cool." Riley whines.

"Hello, Shorty and...Clumsy!" The voice makes Riley and Maya turn around only to see Rachel linking arms with Georgia, who was someone the girls were not fans of. Seeing Rachel with her makes them see Rachel another way, because why would Rachel stoop that low? This is what was going through minds of Riley and Maya.

"Rachel, we don't have time for your little _I'm on my period_ act." Maya says.

"Hey girls!" Missy greets everyone, but her eyes finally laid on Rachel and her new friend. "Rachel please tell me that you're not stooping that low."

"I think I stooped low when I became friends with you three." Rachel says and shakes her head. "I don't even know why I befriended them. They were the worst, Georgia. I'm glad that I got you, though."

"Georgia, it's nice meeting you again. And if you brainwashed this girl into thinking that we were the bad guys, then that is some bull crap because you were the one to pull the trigger on our friendship." Riley explains. "And it hurts me to my heart to see that Rachel really came to you."

"I'm glad that you feel how I felt when you guys treated me like dirt." Georgia says. "And it seems like someone else caught on to that pretty quickly. I'm happy for her. She doesn't need you. Plus, of course she would come to me." Georgia smirks, "I am a good friend, you know."

"Rachel, are you seriously doing this?" Missy is shocked.

"Sorry, Missy." Rachel says with a sad sigh. "I found a new friend, because my old friends always wanted to come to me with their problems and I couldn't come to them with mines because _God forbid Rachel having boy drama_ for once! I was only pinning my problems on you guys, because you always pinned your problems on me."

"Sorry, Rachel. We didn't know that." Maya apologizes.

"Well now you do." Rachel says and rolls her eyes. "And don't try to fix it because it's too late." With that being said, Rachel and Georgia walk away with their arms still linked.

"So," Rachel says when they walk away. "Will you help me with my boy problem now?"

Georgia unlinks her arm from Rachel and folds her arms together. "Now why would I do that?" She ask.

"Georgia. We all know your past with boys, and I think you can help me." Rachel says and Georgia didn't seem convinced. She turns around and looks at the other four then back at Rachel. "Georgia, I promise. I'm done with these girls." Georgia nods after that and smiles.

"Okay, I'll help you." She says with a smile and links her arm together with Rachel once again.

What Georgia didn't know was that Rachel had her fingers crossed behind her back? Rachel wasn't idiotic; she was only using Georgia for her help with a crush. After that, she planned on rekindling her relationship with her _girls_. Even though they made her mad, nothing could force those four apart.

 **{*****}**

"If you really want to impress a crush, walk up to his door and knock on it." Georgia explains to Rachel. "And then as soon as he opens the door just spill. Better yet, as soon as the door opens, spill."

Rachel stands there dumbfounded. "But, you just said the same thing twice."

"I did?" Georgia was truly uncertain if she did or not.

Rachel sighs. "Ok but anyway, what if he doesn't open the door?" Rachel asks.

Georgia makes a face. "Do you not know his roommate? Billy Ross. I've been watching him for a while, and that Julie girl is always over there. Billy is not going to open the door. Zay is." Georgia says. "Don't ask how I know."

"I was, but now I'm not." Rachel says. She checks her watch. 11:20 pm. "Okay, here goes nothing. Wait, why couldn't I do this earlier?" Rachel asks.

Georgia shrugs. "He's most likely sleepy, so it benefits you." Georgia wiggles her eyebrows and Rachel catches on, even though she wasn't entirely in it for what she thought Georgia meant aka S-E-X.

Rachel lets out a nervous breath and says, "Okay, here goes nothing."

"Thanks for allowing me to stay, Luke." Zay says as soon as Lucas enters the dorm from a long night of class.

Lucas gives him a tired smile. "Zay, you've been my best friend since elementary school. I would do anything for you." Lucas says with a hand on Zay's shoulder. "But now, I am so tired that even the weakest bull could not me over."

Zay laughs. "Go ahead and sleep. You need it."

Lucas's smiles widen. "Thanks, Zay." He walks into the hallway but suddenly he stops, remembering something. "Oh, um, don't let Billy get into your head. The past is the past. Don't let it be the future."

"Yeah, I know but..." Zay sighs. "...it's hard with Billy knowing what I've been through. He brings it up so many times, and I can't do anything. It was me, and it's something that I'm not proud of."

"Zay you shouldn't feel ashamed of who you were." Lucas sighs. "Don't let him get into your head, okay? You're stronger than that. Goodnight." Lucas tells him goodnight and walks into his bedroom. He slips off his shirt and groans, knowing that he needed a shower after all of the running around today. But, he is so tired...* _Girl, I make your speakers go BOOM BOOM!_ * **(1)** "Hello?" Lucas answers into his phone.

Josh is on the other side. "Hey, I was just checking on you. I know the night classes get you sometimes." He says.

Lucas looks at his phone, confused because he could've sworn this ringtone was for someone else. Maybe he mistakenly set it as his default ringtone. "Yeah." Lucas agrees before plopping on his bed. "I'll get through it though. I have done it for two months now. I'll get through it. But, I wish I still had my schedule from last year. It was so much easier." Lucas lies flat on his stomach, holding the phone to his ear.

"Yeah. Um, I need to ask you something...well more like tell you something." Josh says and the silence tells him that Lucas was waiting. "There's this girl. She's cute and all, but I don't want to date her because I don't want to break her heart. Right now, I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship. But this girl! She kissed me and I felt something go through my lips. It was like a spark...or a poison. Then my heart started beating fast. It was like she was...my soulmate or my murderer. It's so complicated. I'm probably delusional. Maya is special but...oops. Luke, please don't tell anybody that—"

"{Snore}"

"Goodnight to you too, then." Josh says into the phone and hang up. He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a tired breath.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Who's knocking, Josh?" Billy calls out from his room.

"I'll get it!" Josh calls back, walking to the door. He opens it, revealing Rachel who's eyes were closed. "Oh hey Rach—"

"Okay, I'm just going to say this. Whew, here it goes." Rachel says and her eyes were still closed. "Zay, I have had a crush on you since our freshman year of college but I was so scared of telling you. It's just that I thought that everybody would believe that I'm too good for you. You're funny. Cute. To me, you're the whole package." Josh tries so hard to keep the laugh from spilling out of his mouth. "I just thought that I'd tell you that. Whew. That felt good." Rachel opens her eyes and, "AHHHH!" She screams. "Tell me you weren't standing there this whole time."

Josh shakes his head. "Nah, I opened the door and went to the bathroom and just got back here." He lies, and Rachel lets out a relieved sigh. " _You're so funny. Cute. You're like the whole freaking package. Zay, I love you!_ " Josh mimics her and she punches Josh in his chest. "Ow, why do girls have such strong hands?"

"You lied to me." Rachel barks. "Josh, you can't tell Zay. I'm serious."

Josh laughs. "I won't, okay." He promises. "Your secret is safe with me."

"But is it safe with me?" Billy appears from behind the door and Josh's eyes widens. "Telling Zay that Rach here has a crush on him will totally boost his cool points, unless...you know, he has someone else. More like having some _thing_ else."

"Billy, what's your problem?" Josh exclaims, pushing him back. He turns around to speak to Rachel, but she wasn't there. "Dude!" He slams the door. "What's up with you and Zay? You keep saying indirect douchey crap. I'm the only one left in the unknown here. What's going on?"

Billy shakes his head. "That's for me to know. Lucas to know. Zay to know." A smirk appears on Billy's face. "And soon for you to find out."

Billy walks away, leaving a confused Josh. "What? What does that suppose to mean?"

 **{*****}**

"Dude, what's going on with Zay?" Josh asks Lucas as they enter the Flakesville Science Center. "What happened to Zay?"

Lucas sighs. "I'm not going to tell you. If Zay feels like telling you, then he'll tell you. It's not my place to tell." Lucas says, walking towards the men's restroom. "But I will tell you, it's the only reason why I met you."

Josh stops as Lucas walks into the men's restroom. "Again. What does that suppose to mean?" He ask before following Lucas into the men's restroom.

Riley heard some of what her brother was going on about as she walked pass them, and turns to the girls next to her. "What was all of that about?" She asks Maya and Missy.

"I don't know." Maya responds.

Missy sighs. "Me neither. Anyways, guess what I did last night?" She sounds pretty excited. They are about to answer, but Missy answers for them. "I hung out with Chris...at his dorm." She says slowly, making the girls' mouth drop open. "I know right. Soon, I will be Mrs. Christopher Chandler."

"Yeah?" Missy turns around at the sudden voice only to realize that the boy of her dreams was standing right there. "I heard my name." He says and tilts his head to the side. "What were you girls talking about?"

Missy turns around and gives them 'the face' as Riley likes to call it before turning back around to look at Chris. "We were talking about...the...time that you...um...scored a point for the other team last year in basketball." Not a nice save, Miss Bradford.

"Now why would I do that?" He asks. "Oh, sorry, excuse me for my grammar. Now why would I have done that?"

Missy shrugs. "I don't know. You tell me." She says before hinting at the girls that it was time for them to leave. "See you soon, Chris." She says and walk away with Maya and Riley.

Chris smiles as he watches them walk away. "It's always something with her." He says, watching Missy closely.

"Hey Chris." Chris adverts his attention to Farkle.

"Oh, hey man." He slaps his hand before pulling him into a brotherly hug. "How are you doing?"

Since the trip to the game at Mighty Ducks, Farkle kind of warmed of to some of the football players. They liked Farkle, which earned him some cool points. Chris was among those football players who took a liking in the water boy. Lucas, Josh, and Zay were already cool with him since they got here. Farkle is a part of their little group. Billy still doesn't like him, though.

"I'm doing good." Farkle says. "Oh, and have you seen the girls? I caught Rachel crying this morning in the closet. She told me not to tell anybody, but I'm Farkle. I tell everybody everything."

Chris nods. "Yeah, they just went that way." Chris says and points in the direction that the girls went.

"Thanks." Farkle thanks him before speed walking into that direction. Thankfully, he found them in no time. They were signing up for something that was posted on the wall. "Maya, Missy, Riley!" He calls out, which got him the attention he wanted. He catches up to them. "I saw Rachel crying in the closet this morning. Is she okay?"

Maya shrugs. "We don't know. And we don't care." Maya admits.

"I don't know." Missy says. "She didn't come into the dorm last night. I was pretty worried, but then I started to think that she was over Georgia's."

"Georgia?" Farkle says. "You mean, stinky attitude-lying dog Georgia?"

Riley laughs. "Yeah. Why, what did she do to you?"

"She sucked up to the professor last year to get her grade to be pushed higher. I thought professors were smarter than that." Farkle says. "Wait. Why would Rachel be with Georgia anyway? Isn't that you guys' biggest enemy?"

"We thought." Missy says. "Turns out that Rachel was."

"Hey girls." Georgia appears.

"What did you do to Rachel?" Missy asks, ready to pounce on the lying ass Australian.

"The question is: what did she do to herself?" Georgia says. "I'm not stupid. Farkle you know that." She turns to Farkle when she says that, which made Farkle make a face. "Rachel is lying dog. She thought that she could get boy tips from me and run back to you. I'm not stupid. I knew what she was doing all along. I mean, I did it too...when I was desperate." Georgia sighs "Oh, that was such a tragic time and life."

"So, she went to Georgia to get boy tips." Riley says. "Why?"

"Because idiots, she couldn't run to you." Georgia says. "All of you pushed her away when she wanted tips on how to speak to Zay." Farkle gasps. "Yes, Rachel has a crush on Zay. Stop acting like you never could see it. I did. Listen girls, I might not be the sweetest person but I'm trying to get you to go make it right. Yes, she might hate me in the end for setting her up but I'm doing this for you." Georgia admits. "She needs you girls to come for her aid. Not me."

"Okay, how bad did you set her up?" Maya asks.

"Josh finding out that Rachel has a crush on Zay with Zay not even knowing yet." Georgia says. "And Billy knows too."

"Oh my gosh." Riley exclaims. "That is major."

"We're coming for you, Rachel!" Missy shouts and runs down the hall.

Riley looks at Maya. "Do we even know where she is?" She asks Maya.

"Oh, there she is." Farkle points up to where Rachel was sitting at a table on the second floor.

 **{*****}**

"Rachel?" Riley says, earning the attention of Rachel which was only short lived as Rachel began to gather her things. "We know about last night." Riley says, causing Rachel to stop moving. "Georgia filled us in on it."

A sniff came from Rachel. "I can't believe I got outplayed." Rachel cries. "I was going to her for help, seeing that my 'best friends' weren't there to help me."

"I know and we're sorry." Maya apologizes. "Look," Maya walks over to Rachel and sits down across from her. "We are wrong for not helping you. I've noticed that we always dumped all of our problems on you. We're sorry. And, now we're here to listen."

"Seriously?" Rachel asks with a wet smile.

Riley nods. "Yeah." She says with a friendly smile.

"Well, your brother already knows about Zay." Rachel explains. "And Billy too."

"But we we won't tell." Billy says with he and Josh standing side by side.

"Thanks." She says. "What changed your mind?"

"Josh." Billy confirms putting a hand on Josh's shoulder. "If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have seen it through your eyes."

"Okay, I'm here!" Missy shouts. "Oh my gosh, Rachel. I am so sorry for everything. How are you dealing with the Zay situation?"

"We have it under control." Josh speaks up, earning a smile from Maya. Oh no, there goes his heart again. It's beating faster than when he is running during football drills. _Oh my god! Would you please stop smiling?_ He thinks to himself. _I am seriously probably gonna die from a heart attack on this floor._

"I tell you what." Missy says. "Friday, we'll have a girl's night. I think that'll put everyone to peace, since we're all dealing with these crushes."

"Crushes?" Billy asks. "Any one of you got a crush on me?"

The girls shake their head, making Josh laugh. "Next time, buddy..."

* * *

 **A/N: So this chapter was centered around Zaychel, which is kind of great. We never really got into depth of Rachel and Zay, and it felt great. Next chapter will probably be something fun for every reader out there. This chapter, I did add a little more Joshaya (even tho they didn't talk to each other) and I wanted to make Georgia sorta likeable in the end because I have plans for her in the future.**

 **As for next chapter...**

 **Hint: Every couple gets time.**

 **Thanks for the reviews!**

 **(1) DO NOT OWN Drunk on You by Luke Bryan**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite**

 **~ TheRealSkystorm**

* * *

 _ **CHECK OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER! I JUST POSTED IT TOO!**_


	5. Friends with Benefits

**CHECK OUT THE CHAPTER BEFORE THIS! I POSTED TWO TODAY! ~TheRealSkystorm**

* * *

Chapter V: _ **Friends with Benefits**_

"Girls, change of plans. Instead of girls night, we're going to have a girls plus guys night." Missy says after she approached Rachel, Riley, and Maya in the Flakesville Flakesville Science Center hallway.

"What!" Rachel shouts. "Missy, why can't it just be a girls' night. You promised me." Rachel whines.

"Well, I didn't really make a promise if I remember correctly." Missy says. "But, I think having the guys tag along is better than being in a dorm with a bunch of girls playing pillow fights and what not."

"Yeah, for you..." Riley says. "Missy, is Chris going to be the only one coming?"

Missy laughs. "No, silly. Well unless the other boys don't agree." Missy says. "I told Chris to run it by Josh, Billy, Lucas, Farkle, and Zay. So unless they cancel, I guess we'll be seeing all of them."

"Hey pretty..." Chris greets Missy, which makes the other three girls raise their eyebrow. "Um, Billy can't go. He said something with Julie." _So Billy must be back together with Julie then?_ Riley thinks to herself. "And Farkle is leaving town tonight on plane. He is dealing with a family loss."

"Chris.." Missy exclaims, gritting her teeth together. "I told you not to call me that in front of them. Now, they're going to think something is up."

"Yeah, is something up?" Maya asks with her arms folded.

Missy gives Maya a nervous smile. "Nope. Nuh uh. Nothing is up. Haha, why would you think that?" Missy nervously says as she eased her way away from Riley, Maya, Chris, and Rachel. "Haha. I gotta go." And with that, she quickly turns the corner.

"Cutie, what's going on with you and Missy?" Rachel asks, earning a nervous smile from the cutie himself.

"N-nothing." He stammers before quickly speeding off.

Riley shook her head. "Those two are hiding something." She says.

Rachel gasps. "What if they're having sex!?" She exclaims. "Better yet, what if they are boyfriend or girlfriend? Or even better, what if they are dating?"

Maya has a confused face. "You know that everything that you've just said, it was said backwards." Maya explains to Rachel. "You do know that, right?"

"Ladies." Riley and Maya thought it was Farkle, seeing as it was his line. However, the voice was much more deeper. It was Riley's twin brother, Joshua Matthews, along side Lucas Friar a.k.a. Riley's major crush. "I—well, WE here have been told that there is this girls and guys night. The question is: what are we doing? Any clues?"

Riley shrugs. "I don't know. Who knows what Missy has up her sleeve." She says.

"Knowing Missy, she would have something devious planned." Rachel groans.

"Like what?" Lucas asks.

Rachel gives him a 'are you freaking serious' look. "Do you not know Missy? Her personality? The way she thinks?" Rachel asks, getting all in Lucas's personal face. Her face is pretty close to Lucas, much to Riley's discomfort. "I wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with a date, seeing as she and Mr. Fireball are getting along."

"Well...that's...um...great." Lucas says nervously. It was a little uncomfortable with Rachel all in his space.

"O-kay!" Riley says, pulling Rachel back and giving her 'the eye'. "I think," She turns to the boys. "Whatever happens, it will be fun. So...let's just wait and see. Let's not jump to conclusions here."

 **{*****}**

Riley rolls her eyes. "Okay, Rachel was right. So, what do we do now?" Riley asks, turning around to other six.

"Well, seeing as Missy and Chris ran off somewhere..." Rachel speaks up. She looks around. The park that they were at was modeled after a theme park. "I think we should stick together and just have some fun."

"Or..." Maya speaks up. "We could split into two's. It'll make it easier, and it would be way funner—"

"Funner isn't a word." Riley interrupts.

Maya glares at Riley. "Not now, Riley." Maya says through gritted teeth. "I pick Josh." Maya quickly interlocks her arm with Josh, who was trying to keep cool since the girl always nearly gives him a heart attack.

"L—" Rachel was about to say only to be beaten by Riley.

"Lucas!" Riley says, sending a glare to Rachel. She walks over to Rachel and leans into her ear. "Just because you're scared of facing your crush doesn't mean that you can take my crush." She whispers into Rachel ear in which Rachel gulps. Riley turns around and smiles at Lucas. "Lucas, I think tonight will be great."

"Don't have too much fun." Josh says.

Lucas glares at Josh. "Dude, seriously." Lucas says.

"It wasn't directed to you." Josh says, then points to his sister. "It was directed to her. Be on your best behavior. Now that was directed to both of you."

"I could say the same for you two." Lucas says, throwing a smirk at Josh who sends daggers his way. Josh clenches his fist together. "Oh, are you gonna fight me now? I still owe you an ass whooping anyway." Lucas refreshes Josh's memory.

Josh rolls his eyes. "An ass whooping? You? Beat my ass?" Josh laughs, "Yeah, a cold day in hell. I would flip your ass on your back in less than 3 seconds, Mr. Perfect." That was a name Billy gave Lucas back in middle school when Billy was mad at Lucas for leaving Texas. Lucas hated that name. One time, he pushed someone up against the lockers because of it.

Lucas, like Josh, was never one to back down from a challenge. People didn't call them twins for nothing. "I'm strong like a bull. Everyone knows that. And poor Riley wouldn't want to see her brother motionless on the floor, now would she?" _Uh oh_ , Riley thought to herself.

"Ha Ha Ha." Josh lets out a few laughs. "Are you ok, Huckleberry?"

"Alright, now..." Lucas grits through his teeth. His fist clenches together.

Josh awkwardly turns to Maya. "Come on, Maya." He says, pulling her away from the other four.

"Lucas, what was that?" Riley slaps Lucas on his arm. "That looked like you two were very serious. It scared me."

Lucas shrugs, "I don't know. It was weird. I was just being funny."

"Ok, um..." Riley lets out an awkward cough. "I guess that's our cue to leave."

"And ours to stay." Zay says as soon as Riley and Lucas are gone. He turns to Rachel. "So, do you want to...um...do anything?"

Rachel laughs awkwardly. "Of course." She stammers out. "I...um...well...I need to use the bathroom."

Zay looks around. "Well unless you're going to squat in the bushes, there's not a bathroom in sight." He says. Rachel seemed uncomfortable, and Zay could see that perfectly. He needs to lighten up the moment. "But if you did, I would be totally fine with it. One time, I squat and peed on a rock if that counts for anything. My...um...d*ck was just swinging around. I was drunk though, but it's still worse than a bush."

Rachel laughs. "You're funny."

 _This might not be so bad_ , Rachel thinks to herself.

 **Chris and Missy**

"We did a good job sneaking away." Missy says as she pull Chris into an isolated area. "Do you think that they know that we're...you know?"

Chris nods his head. "Yeah, they probably do. But at least we're making an effort to hide it." He says, pulling out a piece of paper. "Coach Whitney is going to be mad."

Missy smiles. "Blackmail is super hot these days." She says. "And how could you be so careless? I told you specifically to put that paper in your bag, but you didn't. And now they could have seen it in your hand."

Chris shakes his head. "We are just paranoid. I don't think they seen it." Chris says. "Plus, it helps them out too. They're not going to be mad."

"Well..." Missy sighs. "I guess I can stop worrying." She says. "Throwing a college party on campus is going to be the most insane thing ever. But with this sheet of paper, anything can happen." A mischievous grin appears on Missy's face. "Maybe we should get some information on Principal Turner. Just in case Coach Whitney can't persuade him enough to do it."

"Okay, so tell me why I'm doing all of this again?" Chris asks. "Because I thought I was getting something out of it. It looks like I'm putting way more into it, which is not what I signed up for. Hear me out Missy, This is a—" Missy cuts him off with a teasing kiss, making Chris want more when she pulled away. "—great plan and I'm all for it."

Missy smiles. "Great. Glad that you think highly of it."

"The real question is: what do I think of you?" Chris asks as Missy walks in front of him. "I think that you're trying to play me. You're trying to get inside my head."

Missy stops. "And is it working?" She asks. As soon as that question left her mouth, Chris picks her up. "Eeeek!" Missy squeals.

"Hell yeah." He says before the two share another long kiss. Too long for the a mother with two kids. The mother covers the kids' eyes, while they laugh catching the attention of Chris. "Oh, sorry Miss." He apologizes.

"Why are you apologizing? Those kids will have to know about puckering up sooner rather than later." Missy says, scoffing at the mother as she speed walks with her kids.

"Well, will it be too much if I asked you to pucker up?" Chris asks with lovesick smile on his face.

"You are so cheesy." Missy tells him and hits his chest, making him put her down. "But, you are a cute cheesy guy. And I like a cute cheesy guy."

"Really?" Chris says with an eyebrow raised. "Well..." He rubs his chin which makes Missy laugh. He ignores it. "Doesn't handsome intelligent jock sound better?"

"Christopher?" A voice makes the two flirters turn their heads. Chris's eyes widens. "Christopher Eugene Chandler, what on Earth are you doing here kissing some girl? I paid for you to go to college to learn and to study. Why am I seeing you kiss this—" The woman gives Missy a disgusting face. "—ugh. Chris, I thought I taught you better. You could have done better than that."

"Excuse me!" Missy exclaims before running off.

"Missy." Chris calls out before turning to this woman. "Mom, why did you do that? Better yet, why are you here? This is Colorado not Florida."

"Don't you think I know where I am at." Chris's mother says. "Ugh, I hope I didn't raise a dumb one." She pauses. "Oh, wait. I did, when he decided to stick his tongue into a girl's mouth instead of staying at home and studying. You are just like your father. A man-whore." She spits, drinking on something in a brown-paper bag.

"Mom, you're drunk." Chris says. "Don't indirectly label me as pathetic when you're closer to it than I am." He looks his mom up and down. "See you later, mom. Don't bother calling me either."

"Good!" She calls out after him as he walked in the direction that Missy went. "I wasn't going to anyways!"

 **{*****}**

"Missy! Missy!" Chris calls out into the crowd of people. He lets out a tired sigh. He was pretty tired. "Missy! Rachel." He says, pulling out his phone. He quickly dials her number. "Pick up. Pick up."

"Hello?" Rachel answers into the phone. "Is this Chris?"

"Yes." Chris answers back. "Listen, Missy and I got into a little situation and now I can't find her. I've been searching for half-an-hour. I called her phone, but it keeps going to voicemail. Please tell me: have you seen her?"

"No, and how could you lose her?" Rachel was upset. "Whatever took place is the least of my problems. Find Missy. If you don't, I will literally cut your d*ck off. Do you understand me?" Rachel threatens.

"Uh...yeah, yeah. I hear you loud and clear." Chris says. He was pretty scared right now.

Rachel ends the call and turns around. "You owe me big time for this one." She tells Missy.

"Thanks." Missy thanks her.

"What happened anyways?" Rachel asks Missy. "You ran to me, while I was having a good conversation with Zay...who is funny as hell. Then, you were crying your eyes out, scaring the crap out of me. Was the situation that bad?"

Missy sighs. "Yeah, it was as bad as it could get." She admits.

"Awe, that's not a good sign." Rachel says. "Zay, how do you think about this situation?" She asks Zay, who was beside them.

Zay shrugs. "I don't know much about the situation, but you were threatening Chris about cutting his little jerker off and that makes me want to dig myself a hole and hide." Zay says. "I wouldn't be surprised if Chris was doing that right now."

"I guess I was kind of being harsh." Rachel admits. "But whatever. He'll get over it."

 **Josh and Maya/Lucas and Riley**

"So..." Josh starts up a conversation. "How has the last couple of weeks been going for you?"

Maya laughs. "Boys are pathetic. You are still all antsy from that kiss I gave you, aren't you?" Maya asks, and Josh starts scratching the back of his neck. "Josh, I'm waiting okay. I told you that I'll wait, and I'm gonna wait. So, you don't have to be all awkward and stuff around me. We already have enough of that as we—" Josh cuts her off with a kiss of his own, making Maya's heart beat faster. They pull away. A smile tugs at the corners of Maya's mouth. "Who knew you were such a good kisser?"

Josh smiles. "We're even, right?" He says, referencing to when she first kissed him on that bus. "And..." He nudges Maya in the elbow. "You're not so bad yourself."

For what seemed like five minutes, both of them walked side by side in a silence. Josh couldn't believe he just did what he did. Who knew he had the balls to kiss someone as scary as Maya? When he thinks scary, he thinks _Kick you in the balls and laugh about it_ scary.

"Your lips taste like maple syrup." She says.

Josh laughs, "That's cause I just ate pancakes not too long ago."

"Pancakes at night?" Maya laughs. "Wait...didn't you eat them earlier this morning?"

"Pancakes is my favorite food!" He declares.

Maya laughs, "It is? I thought cake was?"

Josh groans. "Okay, you are so overdoing it right now." Josh admits before laughing. Maya likes his laugh; it was so cute.

"I'm full of surprises, Matthews." Maya tells him as she fold her arms. "You should know that about me by now." And indeed, Josh knew Maya like a book. He knows every little detail about her; it'd make you think that he was a stalker. In all honesty, Josh was just a good guy. The bad boy gimmick was to just get girls to sleep with him. It's been going good so far, but his brain keeps yelling at him to cease it before it becomes a major problem. "Josh, are you alright?"

Josh snaps out of his thoughts. "Oh, my bad." He apologizes, sticking his hands into his pockets. "It's pretty cold out here."

"You want to know something cold?" Maya asks and stops in front of Josh, looking at him with those beautiful eyes. Josh just couldn't stop looking at that kissable mouth. It was just too much for him to handle. She kisses good, so why not kiss again? "That out of character moment between you and Lucas."

"I don't want to talk about it." Josh says, suddenly remembering the moment.

"Josh, please. You can talk to me, okay." Maya says. "Josh..." She touches his hands. Her soft hands felt like something angelic. And oddly, he liked it a lot. "I am here for you. Lay everything down on me."

Josh sighs. "Well, it's just that I'm a...sex addict. There, I said it!" Josh exclaims. "I love sex! Sex, sex, sex! I love it. I live for it. I know that it makes me sound like a crappy guy, but it's what I crave." He admits. "It should be what every man craves, but apparently one doesn't. Lucas. It's so hard seeing him so...clean."

"Clean?" Maya says, wanting some clarification.

"Lucas is still a virgin." Josh tells Maya.

Maya's mouth drops open. "You are lying!" Maya exclaims, punching Josh in his chest. Josh really didn't feel it, and he shook his head. Maya puts her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it. Lucas Friar as in Ranger Rick...Hehaw...Bucky McBoing Boing has not had sex yet in his entire life?!"

"No." Josh confirms. Maya still can't believe it. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Maya shakes her head. "I mean, he rode bulls for a living when he was a lot younger. How does he not get to ride THE GIRL!?" Maya exclaims, causing both of them to laugh.

"Something funny?" A voice stops Josh and Maya from laughing, only realizing that it was Riley and Lucas.

Maya let out a nervous laugh. "Just a question: did you hear anything?" She asks.

Lucas smiles. "No, I didn't hear anything." He says and Maya lets out a relieved sigh. " _He rode bulls for a living! How does he not get to ride the girl!_ " Lucas mimics Maya. "You know, it's bad to talk about someone behind their back." Lucas turns his attention to Josh. "But I guess that's what you're used to."

Josh lunge forward, but Maya stood in between him and Lucas. "Howdy, you better shut your mouth!" Josh yells.

"Boys." Riley says. "Stop it. What has gotten into you?"

"The fact that he walks around in his cowboy boots and ironed jeans as if he's the most perfect guy in the world." Josh says. "He acts as if he's done nothing bad in the world. _Stop having sex, Josh. You never know what those girls have._ Or... _Holy crap dude, that's like the sixth girl this week._ " That last part kind of hurts Maya's heart.

"Josh, I'm only trying to help you not indirectly tease you for being an asshole." Lucas responds back.

"An asshole?" Josh questions, while he points to himself with a cocked eyebrow. "If I recall, an asshole is an irritable and contemptible person. This applies to you! Mr. Perfect!"

"I'm an asshole?" Lucas questions, pointing to himself basically doing the same thing Josh had just done. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? I'm not the one sleeping with every single pretty girl I see walk by. And the bad thing is, you do it in your sister's dorm which makes you the biggest douche on Earth." Lucas says. "Don't come for me, when you know I'm right."

"Oh, really?" Josh says nodding slowly. "Well, am I the asshole now?" Josh lunges forward, punching Lucas directly in his face which makes the Texan blank out for a little bit. "Come on, Cowboy. Yippie Kay Yay, mother—"

"JOSHUA!" Riley shouts, running over to her brother and slapping him face. "That's for you throwing the first punch." She says before slapping him again. "And that's for teasing him about where he comes from."

"Josh," Maya says running a hand through her hair. "What is wrong with you?" Josh is about to comment, but Maya stops him with her hand in his face. "Yes, you two were arguing but you threw the first punch. Like Riley said, you started it." After saying that, Josh lets out a sigh. He knew that he messed up. "And you better finish it...with an apology." Maya says before walking away with Riley and Lucas, who was holding his jaw.

"Thanks for holding back, Lucas." Maya says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He looks at her confused. "Did you just call me by my real name?" He ask.

She nods. "I always knew your name." She says before linking arms with Riley. "Lucas, you two need to get together and talk."

"And..." Lucas begins to say but pauses to turn around to look At Josh, who watched the three of them walk away. Lucas lets out a sigh. "...yeah, you're welcome."

 **{*****}**

Lucas sits on the couch, spitting blood into a plastic bag nearby. Soon, he leans his head back on the couch and closes his eyes blocking any sound. He needs silence, considering that he may be losing his best friend at the moment.

"You okay?" The voice makes Lucas open his eyes. There, Josh stands with his hands in his pockets. Josh's eyes were locked on Lucas's as if he was mentally sorry. Lucas shifts his hands to stand, but Josh stops him. "Listen Luke, we had a disagreement. I punched you, and I'm sorry."

Lucas looks at his best friend. He scoffs and shakes his head. "Stop it." Lucas says. "You really do think that I'm gonna forgive you after you did that crap." It came out as a question.

"Lucas, bro..." Josh says, following Lucas into the hallway. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. It seemed like I went into rage mode without my control."

"Josh, we're suppose to be best friends...the best of brothers!" Lucas exclaims. "How am I suppose to be best friends with a guy that punched me in my freaking face. My jaw hurts, Josh." Lucas tells Josh. Josh looks at his best friend and lets out an apologetic sigh.

"Luke, I'm sorry—"

Lucas cuts Josh off. "Josh, stop apologizing."

"Then forgive me!" Josh exclaims, blocking Lucas from entering the room. "Lucas, I'm overwhelmed with everything right now. I'm dealing with football, college, work, a crazy sister, my best friend..." Josh pauses. "...and a girl."

This seems to catch the attention of Lucas. "A girl?" He questions.

Josh nods. "Yeah, and I can't talk to anybody because my best friend is pissed at me." Josh admits.

"Okay, I forgive you!" Lucas shouts. "Now who's the girl?"

"The girl is...Maya." Josh hesitantly admits. Lucas's mouth drops open. "Okay, don't jump to conclusions. It's just that she and I...well, we um...kissed and I felt a spark go through me like it was meant to be. I sound like a girl right now, but I'm telling you the truth."

"Wait, you and shortstacks—"

Josh glares at him. "Don't call her that."

Lucas throws his hands into the air. "Fine. I'm sorry for calling your girlfriend a nickname." Lucas teases which makes Josh punch him in his arm. "Ow!" Lucas cries out.

"Dude, she has me on a rope and SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND." Josh admits. "And the thing about it is that I think she KNOWS that she has me locked in. I mean, I have never been interested in a girl like that. Every time she winks at me, my heart starts to beat faster. Every time she touches me, I feel a spark go through my arm. Dude, I need help."

Lucas laughs. "Yeah, you need help at realizing that you may have finally found _the girl!_ " Lucas tells him. He puts a hand on Josh's shoulder. "Josh, would you listen to yourself? You're telling me this as if Maya is special. It's like she's—"

"—my soulmate?"

Lucas nods. "You can say that."

"But I'm not ready to be in a relationship!" Josh admits. "How can I deal with this girl always looking at me with those beautiful eyes and when she runs a hand through that blonde hair? She has me hooked."

"Just admit that you love her." Lucas comes out and say.

"I lo—no! It can't be that!" Josh exclaims. "I can't be in love with a girl that I've never had a relationship with."

"Well, you could have a crush on her." Lucas says. "Look, don't keep denying it because it'll only make you do something stupid at the end."

"Yeah, but..." Josh sighs. "Okay, fine. I have a little crush on Maya, but she can't know about it! If she finds out then Riley will find out and then the girls will find out...and then there goes my whole bad boy image!"

"Stop worrying about your status and popularity...worry about if you're gonna get _the girl._ " Lucas suggests.

Josh shakes his head. "But...what? How does she even want to be with a guy like me?" Josh was beside himself. "I mean, you said it out there. I come with a lot of baggage. I have sex with any and everything I see walking pass me. I mean, I don't even know if Maya is a virgin or not?"

Lucas shrugs, "I think she is."

"Not at all. Why would a girl want to get with someone like me, who treats women like—" Josh gets cut off by Lucas.

"Stop." Lucas says and places a hand on Josh's shoulder. "Okay, yes, I teased you about having sex...ALOT, but I have never seen you disrespect women. You've always treated them right. I mean, you have a sister. It would be disgusting, if you didn't. I wouldn't be your friend if you didn't." He explains and laughs, causing Josh to let out his first comfortable laugh since he started apologizing to Lucas. "Maya sees that. She wouldn't want to be with you if she didn't;trust me, I know Maya Penelope Hart. You like her, and she likes you. Isn't that all?"

Josh sighs, "Yeah but still...why me?"

"Because you're hot! Sexy! And can show a girl a good time!" Lucas exclaims.

"But she's a virgin..." Josh sighs.

Lucas rolls his eyes, "If I hear you say that one more time, I swear! Virgin or not, you're still you. That's what she likes about you."

Josh groans and plops down on the couch, "But virgins never try to go for non-virgins."

Lucas lets out a groan of his own, "Oh my god."

 **{*****}**

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Rachel and Missy were in the middle of watching _Friends with Benefits_. Rachel turns to Missy. "Are you going to get that?" She asks her. Missy stays covered up in the blanket and shakes her head. Rachel groans and rolls her eyes before unwrapping herself, moaning because it was too cold. She walks to the door before sliding the chain and opening it to reveal..."Chris!"

"Um, hey Rachel." Chris greets. "Is Missy here?"

Rachel turns around to look at Missy, who eagerly shook he her head. Rachel rolls her eyes at her before turning around and opening the door wider. "Yeah, she's right there on the couch." Once Chris is in, Missy glares at Rachel. "You'll thank me later." She tells her best friend. "I'll be in the back." And with that being said, she leaves.

Chris stands there, looking down at Missy. She acts as if Chris wasn't standing there. "Would you stop watching the stupid movie and pay attention to me?" Chris asks in the calmest way possible. Unfortunately, Missy never obeys anyone so why would she take orders from this guy. "Alright..." Chris walks over and unplugs the tv.

"What? Why!" Missy shouts, jumping up from her seat on the couch.

"Missy, you need to hear what I have to say." Chris tells her, gently pushing her down on the couch. "I didn't know that my mom would be there. And I didn't know that she'd say those hurtful things. Trust me, I feel worse than you. Do you know how embarrassing that is for your mom to dog a girl right in front of your face?" The question was rhetorical, and Missy understands that. She looks down at her hands. "Missy..." Chris picks her chin up with his finger. "I'm sorry that my mom said those things to you. I never planned for that to happen."

Missy nods. "I know." She says. "She just got me thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Chris asks. "Us? We're always going to be friends. Nothing less." It kind of hurt Missy.

"How about anything more?" Missy asks.

Chis's smirk appears on his face. Missy likes that. "We'll just have to see and find out." He says before both of their lips on connected with the other.

"Um, Missy, I—Ahhh!" Rachel screams, covering her eyes. The scram made the two _friends_ jump. "I am so sorry. I am just going to head out, and—" Rachel trips over something on the floor, seeing that she has her eyes closed. "—and...d-do something." With that, she grabs her purse and runs out of the dorm.

Chris shrugs. "More time for you and I." He says.

"Me and you, silly." Missy says, correcting him.

"Fine." He says with a girly voice. "Anyways, want to watch that movie?" He asks getting up and plugging the tv back in. It turns on with the movie still playing.

Missy suddenly wraps her arms around his neck. "Or.." She whispers in his ear. "We can remake the movie."

Chris's smile got bigger. "I like the sound of that." He says before he pushes Missy to the couch and straddles her. "Don't ever say that I didn't warn you?"

"But you never warned me..." Missy acknowledges.

Chris kisses her lips. "Now I did."

 **{*****}**

"And, he was like a sexy beast!" Missy exclaims. She was telling the girls about her night with Chris. "But, sadly, someone had to ruin the good part." She sends a glare to Rachel.

"Sorry." Rachel says, throwing her hands into the air. "And you should be thanking me. You never know what he has in that little _thing_ of his. Wouldn't want to have any diseases, am I right?"

"Right." A voice speaks from behind them. Missy stops and turns around before launching herself into his arms. "Wow, is someone a little antsy today?"

Missy smiles. "Antsy for you?" She says, tapping his nose.

Chris gives her a look and shakes his head. "How original!" He says shaking his head. "Anyways, did you...um...tell your friends about our little deal?" He whispers.

Missy turns to Riley, Maya, and Rachel who all wanted to know what they were talking about. Missy leans into his ear. "About our Friends with Benefits deal? No."

Chris lets out a relieved sigh. "Thanks. The fewer that knows, the better..." He says.

"Hey guys..." Lucas's voice makes everyone turn. Suddenly, everyone laughs with both Maya's and Riley's mouth dropped open. No, they weren't laughing at Lucas.

They were laughing at Josh, who had on a t-shirt and his boxers with Nike's on. "Lucas made me do it in a fair deal with me punching him in his jaw." He explains to everyone. He looks at his sister and his...crush. "Are you guys alright? You act as if you never seen a boy in his underwear before."

"You..." Maya says. "And those legs—I, um...Riley and I have to go!"

"Bye then." Lucas says before turning to Missy and Chris. "Are you two together or something?"

Missy laughs. "No, why?"

Lucas gestures to the connected bodies. "Um, he's holding you in his arms." Lucas explains, making Missy jump out of Chris's arms. "Anyways, pal..." He puts a hand on Josh's shoulder. "Have a great day."

"You said I only had to wear this TO school not DURING school." Josh reminds him.

Lucas shrugs. "That's the benefits of being the friend of Lucas Friar."

* * *

 **A/N: Did you like it?**

 **The chapter title was referring to three things: (A) Maya's and Josh's kissing when they're not even together (B) The confirmation on Chris and Missy having a Friends with Benefits relationship (C) The friendship of Lucas and Josh.**

 **In the next chapter, it gets real. I will start my new part-chapters and I know that you are going to like them. I Have put so much preparation in them, so I hope you liked this and those.**

 **Review, follow, favorite**

 **~ TheRealSkystorm**


	6. You're The Voice

**A/N: I got this title from a Camp Rock song. I love that movie so much! Okay, here we go!**

 **So there will not be an ending author's note, nor will there be any author's note on the next one. However, there will be one on chapter 8 at the end because guess what...this is a 3-Parter! It was too long to do in one chapter, so I split it into three. Hope you enjoy.**

 **We have Joshaya, hints at Chrissy, and a sad Riley. Hope you enjoy and we're in for a good shocker at the end. Don't jump though.**

 **RATED STRONG T!**

 **Guest :** _Please focus more on Rucas and Joshaya_

 _ **I can't I'm sorry! I love them too, but they are the two main ships. I just have to build Chrissy and Zaychel a little bit with background, because they are MY original characters (well Zay and Missy aren't but the relationships are)**_

 **HideAndSeekCat** : _Thank you for the author's note at the beginning I would have missed chapter 4. I have mixed feelings about Rachel. I like her but then I don't. Chris and Missy are headed for doom. Friends with benefits only works for so long. Josh a sex addict? i wasn't expecting that. He needs to quit wanting to be the bad boy before he hurts Maya more. I do wonder if she is a virgin or not. It didn't seem like it when Josh outted Lucas but maybe she didn't want Josh to know she was. Lucas and Josh's conversation so funny. I died when Josh mentioned a girl Lucas forgave him so he could be nosy, lol, but these two really need to sit down and talk about their friendship because some jealous or something is there and it could wreck their friendship later, esp after Rucas starts to get together._

 ** _I love your reviews! Josh and Lucas will be brought up again. I do plan on it, and Josh is a bad boy but he's a good guy at heart and that's what I want Maya to bring out of him. I hope you like their story. As for Rucas, who knows? I mean...I guess you got to read this 3-Parter! HINT HINT!_**

 **~ TheRealSkystorm**

* * *

 _Thanks for the reviews in advance. I hope you do review, because that is 1/3 of the only reasons as to why I keep updating. If you want me to update on time, REVIEW...like I am serious lol. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and pm's. You guys are the best. Thanks for everything, and this story is only going to get better._

 _One other thing: I'll repeat, because it will be necessary throughout this 3-Parter. Their dorms are like apartments. I just need you to get that wrapped into your heads._

* * *

Chapter VI: _**You're The Voice...I Need To Find You...I Gotta Find You (Part 1)**_

Thirty degree weather doesn't stop Colorado residents. They're use to this weather. Waking up in the morning isn't such a big deal. However, to a certain brunette hottie, it was a HUGE deal. "Ugh, why do they do this to me?!" Josh lets out an exaggerated groan as he grabs his phone and turns the alarm off. _They_ was his job; they needed him to come in at two in the morning, and Josh didn't want to turn it down seeing as he was trying to get his job to see that he is reliable.

Josh turns his head to the left; his vision is blurry, so he rubs his eyes. _I hate mornings!_ He thinks to himself. With a now clear vision, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a blonde beauty that laid beside him. Of course, her back was facing him. Josh put his nose into her hair and smells it. He makes a moan-like noise at the sweet pleasant cinnamon scent. It smells just like Maya. He leans over the mysterious blonde, only to see that it's

..."Jennifer? Sh**..." Josh curses, jumping out of bed.

He quickly slide into his red boxer briefs and runs to the door, peeking his head out. Why was he doing this?

Suddenly, the bathroom door opens and Lucas walks out of it with nothing on but his blue Ralph Lauren **(DO NOT OWN)** Boxer Briefs. "Um, morning man. Going to work?" Lucas has one eye forced shut while the other one is squinting to focus on Josh.

He nods, "Yeah." He whispers then turns around to look a sleeping Jennifer.

"Yeah..." Lucas says, gesturing to the door. "...were busy. Dude, you do realize I can hear you guys." Lucas rubs his tired eyes.

Josh nods. "I know. This is the first time that I've ever brought a girl to this dorm. To be honest, I don't know how I got here." Josh says, crossing his arms. He always took the girls to Riley/Maya's dorm-apartment. That stopped when he found out Maya was into him. "The last thing I remember was that I was at the...oh, the bar. Dammit."

Lucas whistles. "Looks like somebody's in trouble." Lucas teases.

Josh uncrosses his arms. "Luke, I'm a grown ass man!" Josh rubs in Lucas's face.

Lucas presses his lips together in an _I don't believe it_ type of way. "Can't tell." Lucas says nodding his head to the bulge that Josh had.

"Luke!" Josh exclaims, proceeding to kick Lucas away from him. Lucas bursts out into laughter as he moves away. "That was so not funny, dude." He tells him and hides his body in the room, only keeping his head out. "Question: did you ever come into the room and see who it was?"

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. "No." Josh let out a relieved breath after Lucas answers. Lucas folds his arms and looks at his best friend/roommate intently. "Should I want to know who this girl is?" He asks. "I mean, assuming that she IS a girl..." Josh's face dropped, as if he was saying really, dude. "I mean, if you're into guys, all you have to do is let me know. You know my history with people bullying others because of their sexual preferences. I'd—"

"Haha, how funny." Josh mocks a laugh. "And, no, you don't have to be bothered. Haha." Josh says pretty nervously. "I...um...I gotta get her out of her before she wakes up and realizes where she's at."

"Please." Lucas pleads. "We really don't need girls knocking on this door, telling us that you got her pregnant."

Josh's eyes widens. "That's so mean, man." He says before growling. "NUT SHOT!" He calls out before soft punching Lucas in the testicles.

"Dammit!" Lucas cries out and leans against the wall, cupping his balls. Meanwhile, Josh just laughs before he closes the door.

 **{*****}**

"So did you get rid of that girl this morning?" Lucas whispers into Josh's ear as they sat in their class while the professor talked. It was ten to the class's dismissal time, and Lucas needed answers seeing that he wouldn't be seeing his buddy until after eleven o'clock due to his job and night classes. "I mean, the way you asked me this morning made me think you were trying to get rid of her without A) remembering you and B) remembering where we live." Lucas laughs, "I'm just gonna take it that the sex didn't go so well."

"Get off my back, will you?" Josh silently laughs. "And, aren't you a virgin? So, if you trying to make sex jokes, you better quit now. Anyways, I got her out. She doesn't know where I stay."

Lucas rolls his eyes, "You're always bringing up the fact that I'm a virgin. Being a virgin, especially in this world, is not something to be ashamed of."

"Anatomy is the branch of sciences that teaches body structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms. Physiology is the branch of biology that deals with the functions of living organisms and the parts." Their professor says as Josh and Lucas continues to whisper among each other. With no knowledge that their talking behind him, he calls out Josh. "Josh," The professor says and Josh eyes the professor irritably. Josh hates being called on. "Name a type of body structure in humans."

Josh laughs. "Are you freaking serious?" He says and his classmates looks at him. "Well, I'd have to say—" Josh doesn't know this stuff. He doesn't pay attention, so he not obviously leans his head to Lucas. Lucas says _crotch,_ making Josh say it with the quickness. "The d*ck, sir." Josh suddenly realizes what he just said and punches Lucas in the leg, not noticeable for anyone to see. Lucas snickers.

The class all laughed. Josh's cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

The professor nods his head. "True."

Josh turns to Lucas. "Did our professor just say _true_? What the hell?" Josh says.

Lucas just laughs and watches the professor as he closes out the class, giving them a 10-page essay on the study of Anatomy & Physiology due by Thursday evening. It's Monday morning.

"Josh, I don't know how you survive in college." Lucas tells Josh, putting an arm around Josh's shoulders.

Josh shrugs Lucas's arm off. "And if you don't get into your car, I don't know how you'll survive without a job." Josh shoots back. Lucas nods his head as in 'great comeback' before he leaves Josh alone. Josh walks down the hall and turns the corner only to come face to face—actually, it was more of face to chest—with Maya. "Oh hey, Ma—wha? What happened?" Josh calls after her after she ignores Josh.

"She has been doing that all day." His sister's voice makes him jump. He puts a hand on his chest. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Riley apologizes. "You know what, forget my apology. I'm mad at you right now." Riley says and prepares to walk off only to be pulled back by her brother.

Josh holds her arm tight. "What happened?" Josh asks his twin sister.

She points to Jennifer, who is chatting and laughing with a group of girls. "Her..." Riley says then looks at Josh. "Josh, I thought that you were going to put your needs in a bag and hold off. Now, my best friend is hurt because you said that you were going to wait for her." Riley says, poking her brother in the chest. "Why. Should. She. Wait. On. You. When. You—" Josh stops her poking and she pulls her hand back. "Sorry, but seriously! How long are you going to wait?! It seems like forever to me. Maya doesn't deserve that."

Josh groans. "Yeah, but...ugh. I didn't know Jennifer would go around boasting about it." Josh admits.

Just then Lucas runs by and aims straight for the restroom, only to be confronted by Jennifer. "Hey, Lucas...Lucas Friar, right?" Jennifer innocently asks.

Lucas nods. "Um..yeah. And you are?"

"Jennifer Scales, I just transferred here from The University of Texas." She tells him.

"Oh, are you from Texas too?" Lucas exclaims. He's happy to know that someone else is from Texas besides him, Billy, and Zay. Jennifer nods slowly, realizing what she got herself into. She wanted a cute boy, and lying is the dirtiest move to play. "That's pretty cool!" Lucas exclaims and a sudden urge makes him squeeze his legs together. "I...um...I have to be at work in a few, and I really need to go to the bathroom. Would you mind moving for me?" Lucas asks, because they were after all standing in front of it.

"Only if you agree to accompanying me later on tonight." Was she asking him out on a date?

A small smile appears on the corners of Lucas's lips. "Are you...asking me out?" He asks slowly.

"Yeah." Jennifer laughs and playfully hits the cute boy on his chest. "You act as if you'd never been asked on a date before."

Lucas's eyes widens. "Believe it or not: I haven't." Lucas admits before squeezing through her to get into the boys' bathroom.

Meanwhile, Riley and Josh looks from afar. Riley rolls her eyes, not knowing what the two were just talking about. Josh, on the other hand, was scared that Jennifer was luring Lucas into a trap that he could not get out of. Soon, Josh notices a unique blonde out of the corner of his eye. She, as in Maya, was talking to some other guy with brown hair.

"Here's some advise: if you like a person, it's better to approach them and tell them how you feel." Riley says with her arms crossed, looking intently at the new girl. "Because who knows who'll show up...and possibly take your spot."

Josh scoffs, "I don't mean to sound like an asshole right now but you're giving me the advice you need."

Riley rolls her eyes. "And I don't mean to sound like a bitch right now, but shut up." She says and playfully slaps her brother's cheek.

"Okay...okay...I...um.." Josh clears his throat. "I...I think I have a crush on Maya." He spits out.

Riley's eyes widens and a smile appears on her face. "You...are you freaking serious?! This is huge. Josh, you have the perfect timing. She's waiting on you! What are you waiting for? Go get her, tiger." Riley says, smacking her brother's behind which only granted her an intense glare.

"It's not that easy, sis." Josh tells Riley, pulling her into an isolated corner. "I'm the guy that everyone wants to hang around, because I'm fun. I am laid back, and I know how to party." He tells her. "People know me as the _Grab and Let-Go_ type. And no, I don't are about what people will think...well, I'm sorta lying, because I do a little bit...but I can't bring Maya into my world. It'll be too hard for her to understand."

"Josh, you're my brother. Who cares about what people think?" Riley says, throwing her hands up into the air. "If you want to settle down with a very pretty girl like Maya, then you have the decision to do that. No one else can control your life. And Maya already knows what kind of f*cked up guy you are!" She exclaims, and Josh glares at his sister. "Sorry, but it's the truth. But that's why you need her. She'll put you back on the right path. Like, come on Josh!"

Josh sighs. "Yeah, but...gosh, I have a confession to make." Josh groans and out his hands on his face. "I think I am losing my mind, because I slept with a girl that looked exactly like Maya from the back. And, her hair smelled just like Maya's. I think drunk me just wanted to have Maya in my bed, but I couldn't do that so I got the closest human-being to Maya."

"Well, go get her tiger!" Riley says, pushing her brother forward.

Josh looks at Maya. Every time he looks at her, she gets more beautiful. Her hair was curled like it always has been. He liked it; it was one of his favorite things about her. She was loving and funny; he needs funny in his life. Surrounding by Lucas all day isn't going to give Josh the funny that he needs. He needs a girl that can stick up for herself and fight her own battles, even though he'll be there every step of the way to ensure that she is safe and backed up.

However, the closer he got to her...the more his mind kept telling him that it wasn't necessarily the perfect timing...that he should wait at least another day. But, what's the difference between today and tomorrow? He didn't know that, but he did know that this would end being a huge mistake.

"Sorry Riles, I can't do it." Josh says shaking his head. "Not now." He admits before walking away.

Riley stands there and shrugs. "Well at least he said _not now_."

 **{*****}**

"Hello?" Chris answer into the phone after the most perfect shower. It was hot but not too hot; the water slowly slid off of him. He thought it was perfect. "Rachel? Yoo hoo! I do have caller ID, you know." Chris says fiddling with his white towel that was wrapped around his middle waist section.

"Oh, sorry Chris!" Rachel exclaims on the phone, breathing heavily. "I...um...gosh...hold on." And with that, Rachel leaves the phone again. Chris puts the phone on speaker and sits it on his bed before he walks to his drawer. "Chris, are you there?"

"I'm here." Chris calls out, looking at the phone.

"Okay, so something out of the blew happened to Missy this morning." Rahcel says, and this got Chris's full attention. "Last night, we were joking around and having fun. Then, this morning, she just started throwing up and coughing."

"Well, did you ask her what was wrong?" Chris asks.

"Yeah." Rachel says. "But she just said that she's experiencing stomach pains. I just was hoping that you'd come over and watch over her." Rachel asks. "I have a mandatory class in thirty minutes, and I need someone to watch over her." With the others being in school or at work, Chris was the only person she could turn to.

"Hold on: let me check my schedule." Chris says, sliding his phone to a calendar. It has nothing for this day, meaning that he didn't have to show up in college today. No test. No projects due. He was free. "I'm totally free. I'll be over there in ten."

Rachel lets out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Chris. You are a life savior." She tells him.

"I try." Chris says. "Alright, I gotta go. See you in a bit."

Rachel smiles before ending the call. She sits her phone down on the table in front of her. _I really really really really really really like y_ — "Hello?" Rachel answers into the phone.

"Rachel!"

"Riley!" Rachel exclaims. "Hey, haven't seen you in like three days."

Riley laughs. "I know. The other day...you were on a plane coming back from visiting your parents. Yesterday, I had to catch up on homework. And today...well, what happened." Riley basically asks.

"Well..." Rachel is a little hesitant. "Missy is kind of sick."

"Really? What is she doing?" Riley asks.

"Throwing up. She says she has some stomach pains—"

"Oh god!" Riley says, covering her mouth in shock. Rachel is beyond confused. "Um, stomach pains? Do you think that Chris had something to do with that?"

"No, why would h—" Rachel halts her talking, finally realizing what Riley meant. "Oh hell no! Wake up, Missy." Rachel says, shaking Missy pretty harshly. "Please tell me that those stomach pains..." Rachel points to Missy's stomach. Missy looks at her with tired eyes. "...aren't because of Chris."

 **{*****}**

"Maya, I'm serious!" Riley exclaims as she tells Maya everything that she and Rachel just talked a few hours ago. Riley walks down the sidewalk with her purse weighing on her shoulder. Her phone put up to her ear. "I think Missy and Chris are up to something, because stomach pains just don't suddenly happen—"

"—actually, they do." Maya laughs and shakes her head. She slips into her pajamas, seeing as it's seven o'clock at night. "Plus, we might be over thinking this. I don't think Missy and Chris are doing anything other than kissing, which is totally acceptable in my books." Maya admits.

"Yeah, you might be right." Riley agrees. "Um, I'll be home soon. Work has got me all tangled up." Riley works for a restaurant named Old Billy's, and it is somewhat popular. Riley do rack up on tips; she brings a pretty good paycheck home. "How has the job search been going for you?" Riley asks.

"Well, I'd say that the job search has been total crap." Maya admits. "I put in an application at like every single store or restaurant, but I never get a call."

"The call will come." Riley says. "It'll come. I promise."

"I know it will. I'm just impatient when it comes to certain things." Maya admits.

"Like Josh..." Riley teases.

"You are so not any fun." Riley hear Maya laugh through the phone. Maya stops. "And what about you and Cowboy Lucas?"

"What about us?" Riley hints at the fact that something has happen. It's something that Maya already knows about, seeing as the two are the best of friends and tell almost everything. "Listen, I have to get back to work. I, um, I got to go." Riley lies. Before Maya can say goodbye, Riley ends the call and puts it into her pocket before letting a whimper. She runs a hand through her hair and sniffs.

Riley is hurt.

 _How can Lucas go out with that...thot?_ Riley asks herself, then her mind gives her an answer. _Because you didn't make your move first. Who's the dumbass now!_ Her mind tells her.

And if anything, Riley knew that it was true. It was her fault that Jennifer got to go on a date with Lucas, because Riley never had the man parts to ask Lucas herself.

...and that's why she needed to call him.

"Hello?" Lucas answers on the first ring.

"Lucas, hey." Riley says nervously. She gets one back, and she lets out a nervous sigh before she made up her mind to continue. "I need to tell you something. I have had a—" Riley pauses when her mind tells her something: _No, Riley. Don't do it._ One side of her mind says, and the other says the opposite. However, which one should she choose? "I have had this...um...secret."

"Secret?" Lucas asks. "About what?"

"Um..." No, Riley couldn't tell him. "Um...oh my gosh! Lucas!" Riley exclaims. Riley looks around the sidewalk, noticing that she's not that far away from her job. She throws her phone down to make a noise. Luckily, it did not crack. "I fell! Ouch, my head!" Riley lies.

"Oh my gosh, Riley are you okay?" Lucas exclaims. No, Lucas. She is not okay...well...she is, but he doesn't know that. "Listen, I um...I'll be there—" The sound of Jennifer's voice stops him.

"Lucas, who's that on the phone?" Jennifer asks.

Lucas gives her a smile. "Oh, it's Riley. She has an emergency and needs me to help her." Lucas says.

"Are you kidding me?" Jennifer says and folds her arm. "Lucas, we are suppose to be on a date. Are you planning on ditching me or something? Because it sure did sound like that." Jennifer says. Lucas stays quiet. Jennifer scoffs. "I mean, doesn't she have a brother? Get him to do it."

Lucas gulps. Jennifer gives him a deadly glare. "I...um...Riley? Bean, I...I'm so sorry. It's a bad time." Lucas says, and Riley's mouth flies open. Lucas hasn't called her _Bean_ since they were little, and he only gave her that nickname because she loved vanilla ice cream so much; it was the shortened version of Vanilla Bean. She cannot believe that this boy was not coming to help her to be with some...bitch! "I can call Josh, though."

Riley feels tears run down her face. "No, it's fine." Riley says. "I'm okay." Her voice was cracking.

"See, she's fine!" Jennifer exclaims, loud enough for Riley to hear through the phone. "Now let's get back to our date." Jennifer reaches over and snatches Lucas's phone away from him before ending the call.

Riley holds her phone and looks down at it. She could not believe this. She couldn't believe that Lucas would choose Jennifer over her. It was just too untrue for Riley to untangle in her head. Lucas Friar...the nice, handsome, mature, lovable, strong, and protective boy...became someone else in her eyes. Someone that she couldn't understand anymore, and she didn't try to understand it again. As far as Riley knows, she is done chasing after a boy who is so freaking oblivious to see that she has a crush on him.

But, at the same time...could she blame him?

How could he have known that she liked him?

Well, there was the kiss on the bus...the way she looks at him in his eyes...the way that she looked at him every single time he spoke to her.

Was he that oblivious?

 **{*****}**

Josh runs a hand through his hair. He was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Lucas wasn't home yet from his little unofficial date with Jennifer, the girl he slept with the night before who looks exactly like Maya from the back. How could he allow himself to do something so stupid? Why did he sleep with her? He should have know that it'd hurt Maya.

"Why can I be so stupid at times?" Josh asks himself and turns over to smash his face into his bed. He turns over and checks his clock. He needs to get ready for work in an hour or things will not bode well for him. He groans as he lifts his legs and places his feet on the ground below him as he sits on his bed, still reflecting.

There's no doubt that Josh is in love with this girl. But, he's not man enough to tell her.

"That's it!" Josh says hopping off of the bed. He slips on a white t-shirt and grabs his keys. He already had black jogging pants on with red nikes. He gets into his car and turns it on, not having second thoughts about what he was about to do. "Tomorrow my butt." He tells himself as he drives onto the open rode. He was referring to what he told Riley earlier.

Soon, Josh finds himself sitting in his car that was parked outside a familiar looking apartment. It was the apartment that belonged to Maya and his sister. "I can't believe that I'm about to do this." Josh tells himself before he gets out of his car. Slowly, he makes his way in front of the door that belonged to their apartment. "Here goes nothing..." He tells himself before reaching out and knocking on it.

There's about twenty seconds before the door actually opens. However, it was the last person Josh thought he'd see.

"Oh, what's up Josh!" The man exclaims, bringing Josh into a comforting hug.

Josh lets out a nervous laugh. "Shawn." He says with a nervous smile.

It was the father of his crush...and it so happened to be his father's best friend.

What could go wrong?

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	7. I Need To Find You

Chapter VII: _**You're The Voice...I Need To Find You...I Gotta Find You (Part 2)**_

Josh stands there dumbfounded. The unthinkable happened! Maya's father, Shawn, is here...on the Flakesville campus...in Maya's dorm-apartment...RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! He came to tell Maya that he was ready. He wanted to come to her house and have his arms opened wide only for her to run into them. And then, they'd share a kiss. However, not everything has to be a fairytale. Unfortunately, Josh has to learn it the hard way.

Shawn is here.

He was never here.

The last time Josh seen Shawn was at his High School Graduation. It wasn't as if Shawn was a bad parent. Hell...Josh, Maya, and Riley has the best fathers/uncles in the world. They still talk to Shawn almost once or twice a week, depending on his driving schedule; he is a tourist and writes articles, which he gets paid good money to write. However, they haven't seen him in person in almost two years. So, this was a surprise.

A pleasant one...YES!

But, for Josh, in this situation...NOT GOOD!

"So are you going to just stand there or are you going to join us in our annual _Nasty Fingers Night_!" Shawn asks Josh as he stands awkwardly by the couch that the father and daughter duo were currently occupying. Nasty Fingers Night is one night out of the year where Maya and Shawn order hot wings, pizza, chips, and anything else that makes their hands get all messy. It was something that made them bond. It felt like years to Maya, where she hadn't gotten to do this. So, for her, this was EVERYTHING!

Josh clears his throat. "Um, yeah...sure." He stammers out, which makes Maya look confused. "So, what do you guys do? I mean, I have heard about this but I never got a chance to be apart of it."

"Duh!" Shawn exclaims. "You weren't apart of it, because it was something that Maya and I enjoyed. We didn't need someone like you ruining it." Both Shawn and Maya laugh.

Josh pouts. "I didn't find that funny." He says, glaring at the two which made them laugh even harder. Eventually, Josh joins in on the laughter. "Good to see you, Uncle Shawn." Josh says when the laughter subsides.

"You too, buddy." Shawn says, pulling Josh into another hug. "So," Shawn says once the hug is over. "What's got you over here?"

"Well..." Josh lets out a sigh. Maya looks at Josh intently, also wanting to know why her best friend's twin brother and crush was standing in front of her. "I needed some girl advise. And, I was coming to see Riley but all I got was you and Maya."

"I don't believe it." Maya says, standing and moving to where Josh stood. "You know that Riley is at work. Coming over here for girl advise isn't the real reason."

Josh gives a look to Maya before turning to Shawn. "Uncle Shawn, you ever had bad experiences with girls?" Josh asks as he scoots beside his uncle. Shawn goes into thinking mode, while Josh gives an evil smile to Maya. For what, Maya doesn't know.

"No..." Shawn lies, which makes Josh give him an _I don't believe you_ face. "...okay, fine!" Shawn exclaims. He makes Maya sit down. "I had some past relationships, but I don't think any of them can compare to the one I had with Angela. It was great until she broke up with me and left." He says and shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, you guys have seen how we really ended things. We just left it there in your mom's shop."

"And that's the only bad experience that you had?" Josh asks.

Shawn lets out a nervous laugh before changing the conversation. "Um, why are you over here again?" Shawn nervously asks as he messes with his ear. He has a tendency of rubbing his ear when he's nervous.

Josh laughs at his uncle before turning to the television. "So what were you guys watching?" Josh asks Maya and Shawn.

Both Shawn and Maya look at each other for a few seconds before turning to look at the teenage hottie. "...you leaving." Shawn says.

"What?" Josh says with a confused look.

"You asked what we were watching, and I said that we were watching you leave." Shawn says with a serious but playful smile as he picks up Josh with all of his strength. "There's no way in the hell that I'm allowing you to crash our father-and-daughter bonding time. I haven't gotten to do this with my daughter in almost two years. If I wouldn't let my wife join in, do you really think that you're an exception?" Shawn asks Josh.

"Huh?" Josh raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Didn't you just ask me if I wanted to join not even two minutes ago?" He laughs.

Shawn let out a nervous laugh. "Yeaaah, I was just being polite." Maya goes into a fit of laughter after this. Shawn smiles, "Again, Did you really think I was gonna let you mess...this up?" Shawn asks again gesturing to the area around him.

Josh crosses his fingers. "I was hoping." He says with a smile which earned him a punch in the chest from the one-and-only favorite uncle. "Ow, uncle Shawn...sorry."

"Not so tough after all." Maya calls out. As soon as Josh lays his eyes on her to glare, she quickly turns her head to the television.

Josh glares at the back of Maya's head. He couldn't tell, but Maya was smiling big. Even though she was pretty mad at the fact that he slept with another girl, she couldn't disagree with the fact that he was a clown in his own right. A smile appears on Josh's lips as he watches Shawn walk into the hallway after announcing that he had to use the men's room.

Josh runs to the couch and surprise attacks Maya with her eventually beneath him. He looks down at her face with a cocky smirk. "I guess I am tough..." Josh says with that cocky smile still on his face. "...after all." He ends, remembering her words.

Maya makes a face at him before trying to push him off. However, Josh has a pretty good amount of weight on her forcing her to stay put. "Would you please get off of me?" Maya pleads.

Josh scoffs. "Oh stop it. You love it. Don't deny it." Josh says. And to be honest, Maya loves every bit of this. But, he did just sleep with a girl...that girl being Jennifer.

 _Like, how could he sleep with her? I bet the sex wasn't all that good anyway._ Maya thinks to herself as she kept looking at Josh's perfect white-teeth smile. To her, he was just too beautiful. _I shouldn't be in love...well, that's a stretch...I shouldn't have a crush on someone like this. He can be such an ass but a sweetheart at the same time. But, is he worth it? Is all the heartbreaks and disappointment in the future worth my time? Granted, I don't use it properly, but...ugh, he's just so darn cute._ Her thoughts always seemed to take over in moments like these. Moments where he would be so funny and sweet to a point where Maya would forget what an ass he could be sometimes.

And that's the thing, maybe Josh doesn't realize how big of an ass he looks when he's going around sleeping with different girls every other night.

"Hey guys, I—" Shawn pauses at the corner of the hallway when he notices Josh on top of Maya. The instant protective daddy mode tries to activate, but Shawn wouldn't personally allow it. Josh is family...his nephew in a non-blood type of way. He couldn't dare hurt him emotionally or physically. However, Shawn does get this _top player_ vibe when he's around Josh. It was something Shawn happily participated in back in his younger days...which, if you asked Shawn, it wasn't that long ago. At the end, he seen the light. Well, look at him now, he got a beautiful wife and a beautiful adoptive daughter in Maya. It's something he hopes Maya will stay away from. And hopefully, for his and his daughter's sake...and Josh's as well, he's wrong. Hopefully, he's wrong about Josh. "—HEY!" Shawn calls out, walking into the living room making Josh jump off of Maya. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Maya throws her hand in the air. "What?" She acts clueless. "No. He was just...um...he was just—"

"—running away from a spider." What a lame cover-up Josh.

"In her arms?" Shawn asks, folding his arms.

Josh shrugs. "Yeah." He says. "You act like you never seen a guy run from a spider and into a girl's arms."

Shawn nods. "Yeah, I have! I have seen a guy do that before, but you were on top of her." Shawn exclaims. "So, I'm going to ask you again." Shawn threatens. Both Josh and Maya gulp. Shawn stands in front of both of them. "What's going on here? Is there something I don't know about? Like...um...let's say: boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Both Josh and Maya take a look at each other, not knowing how to respond.

Yeah, take back everything that was said before...Protective Daddy Shawn might come out in 3...2...1...

 **{*****}**

"So do Josh and Maya like each other?" Jennifer asks Lucas, who is in the passenger seat of her car as she parked in the parking lot. Lucas gulps, not knowing if Josh would want him to reveal his secret. Jennifer notices the tenseness. "Oh, I was assuming since their eyes light up every single time they look at each other." Jennifer says, putting the car in park and turning the car off.

"Oh, I don't know." Lucas says. "It's complicated, but let's not talk about them."

"Yeah, you're right." She says with a smile. It was a smile Lucas didn't know was genuine or fake. "Let's talk about us." She leans closer to him and he watches as she moved closer and closer with each second. Her lips were a pretty pink color, especially with the help of her lipstick. "All about us..." Jennifer slowly says as her lips grace his, only for him to pull away before she fully kissed him.

"Sorry..." He apologizes. "Kisses aren't on my To-Do list on my first date."

"Forget that stupid To-Do list." Jennifer says, throwing her seatbelt off. "...unless it has me on it."

Lucas is seriously having second thoughts on not helping Riley right now. "You know, I think we should go in." Lucas says, getting out of the car. He has no idea where they were, but he just needs some fresh air because that girl...is crazy!

Jennifer steps out of her car and closes her car's door. She turns to look at Lucas, who still wore an uneasy facial expression. "Are you ready?" It was a rhetorical question coming from her. She skips to the entrance doors with Lucas hot on her heels.

"Strip Bar? What's a—" Lucas suddenly stops and his face gets red. He could not believe it. This girl had the nerve to drag him to a stripper club. "Oh my gosh...tell me that this isn't what I think it is?"

"What? A Bull-Riding club? No..." Jennifer teases. Lucas tries to keep as much composure as possible.

Jennifer grabs Lucas's arm as she is about to enter. "Georgio Sean SS44 Poppy 5197 Shelby Flipper." Jennifer speaks code to the security guard who gives a small nod before he lets her pass. He stops Lucas with his hand on Lucas's firm chest. "Oh, sorry. He's with me." Jennifer says and the security guard lets him in.

Lucas catches up to Jennifer. "What was that?" He exclaims. That was pretty long for a security guard code.

Jennifer laughs. "Learn to have fun, cowboy." She says. "What you heard was our only way in seeing that we're under twenty-one. Got it?!" She says before walking a short way from him to go to the bar.

Lucas stands there, looking around. Blue and Green neon lights. Red sparkling lights. It was a perfect place to get drunk and get laid...something Lucas was not planning on doing.

 **{*****}**

Billy grunts as he lifts the weights at a constant pace. Being on the football team comes with responsibility: staying healthy and staying fit. Those two things are the very important. Billy doesn't mess around, seeing as he wants to stay on the time.

The door opens, revealing Zay. "What's up, man." Zay greets as Billy continues to lift his weights in the living room. Billy ignores him, focusing his attention on the weights. However, Zay doesn't know that. So, Zay stands above him looking down at the guy with a worried face. "Dude, if I see you lift another weight, I might as well kill you myself."

Billy laughs before halting his training and sitting up. "So what I'm taking away from this..." Billy begins to speak as Zay walks into the kitchen. "...is that you want to kill me because you want to be me."

Zay shakes his head. "Oh no. You totally took it a different way." Zay says, pulling out his phone and shoving one hand in his pocket as he stands in front of Billy.

Silence takes over the room for about two minutes. Zay was too occupied with his Instagram that he didn't notice that Billy took those two minutes to stare at the print in his jeans. No, not the brand's logo print...we're talking about a whole different print. A print that every teenage-adult seem to have because they're shifting from being little kids to becoming men.

"So Billy..." At the sound of Zay's voice, Billy jumps out of his trance and lifts his head to look at Zay who was thankfully still paying attention to his phone. "...I seen Julie the other day. She was totally checking me out." Zay says, and Billy crosses his arms across his chest while leaning back on the couch. His legs suddenly wide open with Zay standing in between them. However, Zay was still too busy looking at his phone to pay attention to where he was standing and Billy, for that matter.

"Okay, whatever man..." Billy says. "I mean, I wouldn't be okay with it if SHE AND I WERE STILL TOGETHER!" Billy shouts, getting up and stretching. His shirt rises a little; his abs were showing. But unfortunately for Billy, Zay wasn't paying him any attention.

"Well, since you said that..." Zay says walking away from Billy before making his way to the hallway. He turns around, finally looking at Billy after several minutes. "...I'm going to do what I do best and get the lady."

"WHAT!" Billy exclaims, making Zay flinch. "I mean, go ahead bro." Billy stumbles.

"Bro?" Zay says walking into the living room again. "You've never called me bro, brother, or anything in that context. Something is up."

Something was up, and it was the last thing that: A) Zay needed to hear and B) Billy wanted to say. If you're looking at both sides, it's a lose-lose. And unfortunately, Billy needs to think of something fast because Zay is giving him a questioning look.

After a quick second to think, Billy sighs. He is about to say something that is so unbelievable to Zay. Unfortunately for Rachel, it was about her crush on him. "I was trying to keep it a secret, but Rachel has a crush on you." Billy says. "Don't go out with Julie. Go to Rachel."

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it..." Zay says, looking at Billy with such a surprising face. Billy lets out a relieved sigh. He was in the clear...well so he thought. "...that you would keep this from me. I thought we told each other everything."

"They made me keep it on the low." Billy defends himself.

"They? So more people knew about this?" Zay asks Billy. Billy nods his head, telling Zay that it is true. "Oh my...this is a big deal! If people knew, it means that she really does have a crush on me." Zay grabs his jacket. "And do you want to know the funniest thing?" He asks. "I have had the biggest crush on her since like forever." And with that, he dashes out of the dorm-apartment.

Billy's body felt lifeless as he fell to the floor. "What in the hell?" He asks himself out loud. "What is going on?"

For what it felt like two minutes, Billy was staring at Zay's d*ck print. And no, it wasn't just a _in sight-out of sight_ thing. Billy was actually STARING. "Maybe it was...no, I was actually staring." He groans and then face palms. "You have got to be kidding me...but no, I was...oh my god, maybe it was those pills I took." He blames the pills, and a smile suddenly appears on his face. "Yeah, it's most defiantly the pills. Staring must be one of the side affects."

Oh, Billy...blaming the pills, are we?

 **{*****}**

Zay wasn't the only one dealing with a humongous crush. Riley was also dealing with a huge one. With eleven minutes left of her shift, Riley decides to call the person she can depend on. She needs to have a talk with the woman who is known for settling issues. She needs to talk to a well-known lawyer in her own right. She needs to talk to...her mom.

"Mom, I just...I can't believe that he did that. I mean, he's practically my unofficial brother...and for him to not come to my aid bothers the crap out of me." Riley tells her mom on the phone as she wipes off tables.

"Baby, Lucas is a mature guy. Maybe he is like your brother in some ways, but...oh come on!" Topanga says over the phone. "One: he's not my son. So the _brother that I never had_ crap shouldn't leave your mouth. Because if you're serious about liking this boy, then stop talking about how much he is like a brother to you." She says and a sad sigh escapes Riley's mouth. "Two: If I was a cougar, I'd snatch him up so fast. The boy is sexy, mature, and has rode a bull before. If that doesn't spell fabulous sex, then I don't know why God would put someone through that." Topanga laughs.

Riley makes a face. "Okay, mom. I don't need to hear about how sexy he is." Riley says. "Or what sex would be like with him? Am I talking to Topanga Matthews...or Maya Hart?"

"Oh come on, you can't deny it." Topanga says. "He's nineteen now, so technically I'm legal to marry him."

"Okay, so what?" Riley says shrugging her shoulders. She turns around and looks at the clock, noticing that she had seven minutes left. "Listen, mom..." Riley speaks into the phone. "He is cute and sexy and mature and a bull-rider, but I can't look over the fact that he chose some girl over me."

"Riley, would you listen to yourself?" Topanga exclaims on the phone. "You're basically pinning your problems on him without Lucas knowing a damn thing. He doesn't know that you like him. All he knows is that you are his brother's twin sister. He was on a date with some girl. If he chose you over the date, I would have drove all the way to Colorado to slap some sense into his ass." Topanga curses a lot when she gets fired up, which is one of the main reasons why Cory, the twins' dad, fell in love with her. Deep-down, he loves feisty. "He's on a date, Riley. If you were on a date with him, and he left to help out a friend...would you be mad? Think about it that way."

Riley seriously began to think about what her mom just said. Was it true? Was she really pinning her problems on Lucas?

"Thanks mom." Riley's voice breaks and she quickly ends the call before sitting down at one of the booths and crying. How could she be so stupid? She was pinning everything on a boy that doesn't know that her crush on him exist. But, it was too late now. Her crush went on a date with a girl that looks like Maya from the back.

Well, he did say blondes were his type.

If only she could fix it...

 **{*****}**

If only Lucas can fix the situation that he allowed himself to be apart of...

Unfortunately, Lucas has the horrible pleasure of seeing Jennifer shake her ass in front of other guys. It was officially the worst first date ever in his eyes as he watches from a stool.

"Is that your girl?" The bartender suddenly asks Lucas, who was too busy looking at Jennifer.

When Lucas first met this girl, he thought she was going to be a cool chick to hang around. She was born in Texas and she loved riding bulls, which is beginning to unfold as a lie to Lucas. He can't believe that he let this girl drag him to a bar, especially since he had to be at school the next the morning. Seeing as it's after midnight, he don't know if he'll function right.

The same question kept finding its way into his mind. Why did he choose Jennifer over Riley?

He didn't have an answer. Well, he did but he didn't want it to be true. He gets all nervous around her, and he can't help but rule it as a little tiny crush. Does he really have a crush on Riley Matthews...sister of Joshua Matthews? Or is it just something that his brain tried to create?

Nah, he really does have a crush on Riley.

"No."

This was the last word Lucas says before he runs out of the building and heads to a place that will soon be heard of as the place that Lucas apologized to Riley for being such an ass...well something like that.

 **{*****}**

Chris finally reaches the door that opens to Rachel's and Missy's dorm-apartment. Before he could even knock, Rachel opens the door with an annoyed look. Chris knows why. "I am so sorry. I thought I was free today, but my professor emailed to tell me that I was on the verge of failing if I didn't turn in three assignments." Chris explains and Rachel rolls her eyes before walking away from the door. Chris follows suit, closing the door and walking behind her. "Listen, I'm sorry Rachel and—" Chris stops talking at the sight of Missy. "What the hell?" This was his reaction.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction." Rachel tells him.

"I mean, she looks like complete hell. What did you say she had again?" Chris exclaims, walking over to Missy's sleeping body and touching her forehead. She has a fever.

"She told me that her stomach was hurting her really bad." Rachel explains. "And since we know that you two aren't doing the level 5 freaky yet, I am thinking that it has to do with some food poisoning." Rachel says, referring to the conversation that they had earlier about Chris's and Rachel's relationship.

"I still can't believe I told you about our Friends with Benefits deal." Chris groans and hits head on the couch repetitively. "You do know that if she ever finds out that I told you...I am dead."

Rachel laughs. "Relax. I got it covered." Rachel says.

Chris eyes her intently. "I really hope you do, because I am not about to be yelled at like a little puppet because someone couldn't shut their mouth." Chris says, referring to Rachel.

"And if someone doesn't shut up, my mouth won't be the only one shutting." Rachel threatens.

Chris rolls his eyes. "Just let me take her to my place." Chris says, lifting Missy into his arms bridal style careful enough to not drop her. Her blanket slowly begins to slide off of her until Chris carefully reaches a hand out and grabs it. Rachel gives him a look that was questioning. "I promise to not do anything. Besides, my roommate is visiting his parents in California. We'll be all alone." He ends the sentence with that, which makes Rachel kind of anxious.

"Um, I don't think—" Rachel begins to say, but Chris stops her from continuing.

"Rachel, she'll be fine." Chris says. "I promise."

"Ooh, you better protect her with your life." Rachel says with her voice sounding a little more frightening. "Because if you don't, I will personally grab that little friend of yours—" Chris lets out a shriek after feeling Rachel's hand grab that little friend. "—and I will squeeze it until it turns into a little flat pickle. Do you understand?"

"I do. I do." Chris breathes out. "Now can you let go?"

"Oh." Rachel says, finally letting go. "Sorry. Just pretty protective over my best friend."

Chris gives her a nervous nod. "Good to know." He days before Rachel unlocks the door and allow Chris to carry Missy away from the dorm-apartment.

 **{*****}**

Maya and Josh sit on the couch with their arms folded, not wanting to upset Shawn further. Although, Shawn isn't upset at all; he just needs to make these lovers believe that he's upset for them not telling him anything...not that there's something going on.

"I just don't get why Josh came over in the first place. I mean, when a boy shows up to a girl's house uninvited, sometimes that means that the boy wants some desert." Shawn explains, which causes Josh to blush and Maya to awkwardly sit there. "I have been a nineteen year old boy before. A stupid and foolish nineteen year old boy. I was all in it for sex, and it was fun but it's not when I think about it now."

"Where is this going?" Josh asks.

"Somewhere we never want it to go." Maya responds. Shawn continues with his speech, which was getting on Maya's last nerves. "Dad!" Maya shouts. Ever since Shawn married Katy, Maya started calling him dad. "Would you stop it? Josh and I are not dating nor are we together. You don't have to give the big sex talk." Maya says. "Plus, I'm a grown woman."

"...that has needs." Shawn adds in.

Maya is about to respond, but Josh beats her to talking. "Actually, there was a real reason that I came over here." After saying that, he earns a _what are you doing_ look from Maya. "I—over the last few weeks, I have been feeling like complete crap because I wouldn't allow myself to admit to something that I knew was true for so long. I mean, a kiss is just something that couples or people do to warm their hearts. But, that kiss that we shared—" Josh is looking at Maya now. Shawn thinks about cutting off Josh, but he lets Josh keep talking. "—was something that I couldn't get out of my head and my heart. After that kiss, every time I looked at you or every time you looked at me...it was...it was like we were meant to be."

"You don't have my blessing." Shawn suddenly says. Josh and Maya instantly turns their heads to look at still good-looking goofball at the age of thirty-nine. I mean, do I have to say it or will you finally wake up Josh? You're a player! And I am not UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES letting you put my daughter through that."

"Dad..." Maya says softly. It wasn't a whisper, but it was quiet and soft enough to let Shawn know that Maya didn't want this.

Probably because she knew what was about to go down...

"Excuse me?!" Josh, for the first time tonight, felt confident. "A player? Is that what you think of me now? Uncle Shawn? Really?"

Shawn was not afraid to voice his opinion, whether someone liked it or not. "Listen Josh, I am a father before I am an uncle. I can't stop you from going around and partying and breaking these girls' hearts, but I can stop you from breaking _my girl's_ heart." Josh felt his heart skip a beat. when Shawn said those words. _Am I really a heartbreaker?_ He thought to himself. Shawn continues, "See, I knew there was something off about you. Nephew, I love you. I really do, but this...that...whatever you're doing HAS TO STOP!" He says shaking his head. "It has to."

Josh closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "But..." He says. "But, what if I want to...and I can't?"

"What do you mean?" Shawn asks then shakes his head. "There isn't an excuse, son. There isn't. You either stop it or you don't. And guess what, that's all on you." He explains to him.

Maya stands. "I...um...I..." She felt her eyes watering a little, and she had to find a way out. She didn't want her dad to see her hurt, because it'll get him even more fired up. "I'll be in the back." She says and walks to her room.

She closes the door and slides down the wall. The tears now pricking the corner of her eyes.

There it is.

Her two favorite guys going at it with each other.

Well, it was bound to happen eventually, right? The father is always protective over their child, especially their daughter. And to be fair, and Maya knows this as well, Josh is at fault.

 _Can I blame my dad?_ Maya thinks to herself. _Josh is everything he's saying he is. He goes around and sleeps with girls just for fun, then he'll brag about it to his boys later on. Then, he'll hit repeat. It never fails. So, why am I falling for a guy that anybody would call...absolute trash?_ Tears begin to fall down Maya's cheeks. Her dad is right. Josh is a player.

But, there's also a side that many don't see.

The vulnerable side.

It's a side that is loving, caring, and wholesome. Before popularity, Maya always fell in love with that side of Josh. She loved the Josh that would defend Riley and herself from guys that loved to flirt with them. She loved the Josh that would stay up in the middle of the night and come sleep with them, because they were both scared of the noise from the thunder when they were little. She loved the Josh that would wake up every morning and make from of combination of breakfast foods: pancakes, bacon, waffles, oatmeal...hell, even cereal.

What happened to that Josh...

The answer was...it's still there, but he's added this other personality that has made Maya question her feelings. Should she be falling for someone as fickle as Josh who seemed to care more about his popularity & status than his well-being?

Probably not.

 **{*****)**

"...Probably not, but I love you daddy." Rachel says on the phone as she spoke with her dad about how college life was going for her. "Yes, I will make sure that I lock the doors and do my assignments on time. I have all of the covered. Trust me, daddy."

"Okay, love you too kitten." Her father says before the call ends.

Rachel throws her phone on the couch and lets out a tired breath. The cold yet comforting air, blowing in through the open window. Finally, she has the dorm-apartment to herself. She cannot be anymore happier. With Missy being sick, she really didn't have any time to sleep. Now that she was gone, sleep was calling her name. It was only a matter of time before Rachel could fall into a deep beautiful sleep.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"UGGGGGGGGGGH!" Rachel loudly groans before she walks to the door and opens it to reveal...Zay.

"I'm really scared for you since you didn't ask 'who is it'." Zay tells her. "But for real, I heard from a little bird that..."

"That?" Rachel tries to play it cool, but she really wants to kiss this boy's face. Unfortunately not everything works her way either. The universe is against her every move.

"That...you...have a crush on...me." Zay hesitantly says.

Rachel felt like crying and hiding in a dark hole, running away from everybody and everything in her life. How could someone tell Zay her secret? Well, of course, that someone had to be either Josh or Billy. Rachel knows Josh, so she narrows it down to Billy. For some odd reason, Rachel wasn't mad at him. She was happy that he told Zay, because she was getting a little too nervous to stand around him. Now that he knows...the question that she has: What does Zay think about it?

"Y-yeah." Rachel stammers out.

"Is it true?" Zay asks.

Rachel is hesitant about what she was preparing to do next, but what the hell with it. It was going to happen sometime in the future...why not now? She leans in and capture his lips, and thankfully he kisses back. Their lips were in sync, a feeling that Rachel has been craving since she saw this boy. "Hell yeah, it's true." She says when they pull away.

Zay smiles. "Do you want to go somewhere...private?" He asks.

"Nobody's here." Rachel says with a smile that showed a million feelings.

From an open window across the room, Billy watches as Rachel reaches to take Zay's shirt off. He unconsciously licks his bottom lip, causing him to quickly shut the window.

 _What in the hell?_ He thinks to himself. _No, no...no...I need to go to sleep. Damn pills. I'm never taking the_ m again.

He sits on his bed and lets out a tired breath. He stares down at the floor for a while before he shakes himself out of it. "See, it's these pills. Got me staring at everything." He laughs to himself.

He shuts off the light then returns to bed. The comfort of his sheets puts a smile on his face as he tried to get comfortable. For the first time in what seems like forever, he's all alone in his dorm-apartment. Usually, he'd have someone over but not tonight.

 _By myself. Just like I like it._ Billy thinks to himself.

 ** _Quit lying_**. Comes a voice in his head. _**You know you miss Zay.**_

 _Huh? Who's there?_

 ** _Your heart dumbass._**

 _How can my heart be talking to me? Isn't this my mind?_

 ** _Yes, but...whatever. Billy, you just need to admit it. The long lingering looks are not just a fluke. They mean something._**

 _Yeah...they mean that I need some new pills._

 ** _No, they do not. Billy, why do you keep lying to yourself?_**

 _Why are you still in my head trying to convince me that I like Zay? I don't like guys. I like girls. Period **.**_

 ** _Billy, there's nothing wrong with liking guys._**

 _Says who? Mr. Heart...Haha. How about you get back to your job and keep pumping my blood so I stay alive._

He chuckles to himself, "Like Zay, my ass."

 **{*****}**

"Uncle Shawn, I'm sorry but—"

"—You can be sorry all you want!" Shawn cuts him off. "But when it comes to that girl in there..." He points to the hallway. "...you are not allowed to date her."

Josh sighs, "As you wish." Josh sniffs.

Tears had already began running down his face as Shawn scolded him about being a player who isn't good for his daughter. And Josh knew he was right. He was nowhere near the level he needed to be to even be considered as a gentleman...or at least a good guy. Shawn wasn't trying to be an ass, but he wasn't going to let this guy who he knows can be better put his daughter through hell. He, as a teenage boy, did it before. Yes, Shawn wishes he could go back and fix everything, but he can't. What's done is done. However, he can help Josh and get him to stop before it's too late.

Because, at some point, it'll become who he is. No more sweet guy. That personality trait will be long forgotten, and the player personality will come breaking through and make an impact like it's never done before.

Shawn brings Josh in for a hug. Josh is trying to hold back the tears, but he can't because it's all true. Everything that he thought he was...it was true.

"I love you." Shawn whispers in his ear. "But, you need help. There's another side of you that I love. But then, there's this new side that I just picked up tonight." He explains. "And if I picked that up this quick, something is wrong."

Josh sighs, "Thanks." He shakes his head and pulls away. "I'm gonna change. You know why?" His voice begins to crack. "Because I want to prove you...and her...and Lucas...and Riley...that I'm better than this."

Shawn smiles, "That's my boy. That's what I wanted to hear."

Josh nods, "And that's what you're gonna get it."

 **{*****}**

 _"I like you more than I did before, honey. Your eyes and your teeth and those legs. Yeah, those legs are always something nice to get tangled in."_ Riley sits on her couch with a blanket wrapped around her petite body. It was cold, but Riley didn't want to leave this movie. It was just too good.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Riley groans as she pauses the movie. She walks over to her door. "Who is it!" She calls out to the door. She got a one word reply. It was a reply that she didn't want to hear. The voice spoke and came out _Lucas_. The boy of her dreams was standing right behind the door. Should she open it? No, she's still mad at him. But, her mom did give a valid point on pinning all of her problems on him.

She just opens the door, not wanting to hear what her mind kept telling her.

There, stands the cute handsome cowboy that almost every girl fawn over. "You got five minutes." Riley tells him with one hand on her hips and the other on the door. "Go."

"Riley, I am so sorry. I was stupid to not come to your rescue. I chose a girl that I really didn't know over you." Lucas explains. Riley wants to jump in and tell him that it wasn't his fault, because he was on a date but she wasn't going to totally admit that. "You have every right to be mad at me. Riley, I am sorry okay. If anything happened to you, Josh and I would be devastated. You are like my baby sister that I never had." Hearing those words stung Riley in her heart. "I was stupid...stupid...stupid. I'll say it again and again, because I was stupid."

Riley sighs. "Is that all?" She asks.

Lucas nods his head. A smile appears on his face, because he knew that Riley was going to forgive him.

...but instead, all he got was a door being slammed in his face. A thing that no guy ever wants a girl to do to them, because that means that the girl is pissed at them.

How was he going to win Riley over?

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	8. I Gotta Find You

Chapter VIII: **_You're The Voice...I Need To Find You...I Gotta Find You (Part 3)_**

The intensity is high; neither one of them knowing what to say. Lucas's palms have now become sweaty, because he really thinks he screwed any sort of relationship with Riley. Riley is having an on-going battle in her mind on why she slammed the door in the handsome poor boy's face. Two people with two different sides of an argument...how is any of them right? On one hand, Riley did lie and pin her problems on the Texan; at the same time, Lucas blew her off because Jennifer said so. Even if it wasn't a real emergency, Riley needed him and he has to own up to not being there for her when she really needed him.

Riley and Lucas stand there, staring at each other. Like it was said before, the intensity is high. Neither one of them wanting to speak, because they may say the wrong thing. Nobody wanted to make things worse.

"Lis—"

"You—"

Both Riley and Lucas talk at the same time. Riley put her hand on her hips and let her other one rest on the door like she did the first time they spoke to each other nearly four minutes ago. "I opened this door a second time to give you a second chance at explaining yourself. You have two minutes."

Lucas begins to think to himself... _Damn, did she really put a time limit on this?_ His thoughts are interrupted when Riley clears her throat, holding up one finger in one hand and three fingers in the other hand. This means that he has a minute and thirty seconds left. Was she really being fair with time? The boy only thought to himself for ten seconds, maybe twenty.

"Riley, you don't know how sorry I am. I f*cked up pretty badly, and I can't believe that I allowed myself to blow you off like that." Lucas says, then he begins to think to himself. _What would get her to smile?_ And then there it was...he got down on one knee. Fortunately for Lucas, it works quickly because she smiles that beautiful smile that he loves seeing. "See, you're smiling. I love your beautiful smile, Bean." He just called her beautiful, and Riley felt like jumping up and down from excitement. "I really hope this knee thing is working, because I don't know what to say." Lucas says awkwardly.

Riley presses her lips together and folds her arms. "One one condition: stop calling me, Bean." She says.

Lucas smiles. That's all, he thought to himself. "Okay, Riles. As you wish." He mocks a prince, which gets Riley to smile even bigger.

Riley laughs. "It's funny. And thank you for lifting up my day. I really needed something to laugh at."

Lucas gives her a confused look. "Who said I wasn't serious about what I said?" Lucas asks, standing up from his one knee position. "Who said that I wasn't flirting with you when I told you that you had a beautiful smile that I love so much?" Lucas says and puts his hand on the side of her face, close to ear. Riley gulps. Is this really happening?

At that moment, Riley felt like grabbing his face and forcing him to kiss her. Chills had gone through her body when she he put a soft hand on the side of her face. She wanted him to lean in and kiss her. Maybe it would relive some of the tension that the two have. Maybe Riley is thinks to much and jinks herself too many times. Okay, that last one was kind of random.

"Lucas..." Riley's voice sounds seductive and quiet, as if she's trying to give him a hint to make the first move.

"Riley..." Lucas whispers before leaning in and...

 **{*****}**

"Riley?"

Riley jumps out of her fictional thoughts only to realize that she was standing in front of Maya, Missy, and Rachel. All three of the girls wear confused-yet-determined faces. Confused, because they asked Riley a question and all she did was go into outer space. Determined, because the girls are eager to know what happened between her and Lucas.

"Well..." Rachel says, moving her hands around rapidly.

"Are you going to tell us or what?" Missy asks.

Riley sighs, feeling forced into a position of revealing the outcome of the situation. Suddenly, she points to Maya. "Maya and Josh kissed!" Riley spills in order for all of the attention to travel someone else.

...and indeed it did.

Rachel and Missy quickly turn to Maya with their mouths wide open. "WHAT!" Both of them exclaim.

"Well...it was just a moment that happened, you know." After Maya says that, Missy and Rachel gasps as Riley stands there with a relieved face since all the attention was off of her. "But, I didn't want anyone knowing so don't say anything. It was something that was personal between us and I'd hate if it started being spread around." Maya grits her teeth as she says this, and sends a glare to Riley.

"Sorry." She apologizes.

"Speaking of kissing..." Rachel says, earning the attention of all of the girls. "Zay and I were totally getting it on last night without the sex unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Missy questions. The other girls laugh. "No wonder why I seen you two smiling at each other when I was walking in."

"And I can say the same for you and Chris." Rachel says to Missy. Rachel crosses her arms over her chest. "What's up with you two? You guys were happier than usual. Even Zay pointed that out."

"Well..." Missy stretches the word out. "You could say that, because I was fortunate enough to have a best friend—" Missy smiles at Rachel, who winks back. "—who allowed a sexy guy like Chris take care of me while I was sick over food poisoning."

Riley's mouth drops open. "You are so lucky. If I had a quarter for every time I tried to play sick when Lucas was over when we were in high school, I would be broke right now." Riley laughs.

"Well..." Rachel says linking her arms with Missy and Riley. "We're not those broke girls anymore. We got the guy that we want. Well everyone except for you two, I guess. Sorry." Riley just gives her a fake smile before linking her arm with Maya. Maya just smirks, because the girls have no clue that her Josh's moment does mean she got the boy. Not officially, but it counts, right?

"You know, I wouldn't exactly say that I didn't get the guy that I wanted." Riley says as the four cheerleaders walk down the hallway. It was almost seven o'clock at night, which meant that it was almost game time. "I need a guy for a boyfriend. Someone that I can love and someone that could love me. But..." All the girls look at Riley. "I got the guy that I wanted. I got a guy who protects me and will always be there for me. He may not be my boyfriend, but he's exactly what I wanted. Soon, there may be a chance for us."

"You know, that was most sweetest thing that I've ever heard you say about a boy that you like." Missy says, faking like she's tearing up.

"Oh stop it." Riley laughs.

Speaking of stopping, let's freeze.

There are some questions that was never answered. Like, what happened between the Cowboy Prince and the City Princess? Or, how well is Chris's caring skills? Or, what was Maya talking about with that kiss? There's a lot of unanswered questions that were kind of being answered when the girls were talking earlier.

So what exactly did happen?

Well...

 **Flashback to 11:30 PM**

Everything didn't happen the way Riley was thinking. She was only imagining what it would look like if she had opened the door.

Unfortunately, she chose not to open the door which led to Lucas doing something else.

Riley sits on her couch, covered up in a blanket as she watches the love story unfold. For some unlikely reason, Riley felt good for shutting the door in Lucas's face a few minutes ago. She felt that he deserved it, and secretly hoped that he would come back to apologize tomorrow. However, Lucas has other plans that might include climbing into a window.

"Riley..." At the sound of her name, Riley jumps. Popcorn is flying everywhere, even hitting Lucas in his face. Riley turns around with an angry expression on her face. She has one hand on her chest as she tries to catch her breath. "I am so sorry, Riley. You shut the door in my face. What was I suppose to do?"

"Keep knocking like normal people do." Riley suggests. She walks into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator before pulling out a 2-litter bottle of soda.

"But then you'd ignore me." Lucas says walking into the kitchen. The only thing that stood between them was the table, both on either side of it. He watches as Riley pours some of the soda into a pink cup. "Listen, Riley..." Lucas walks around the table rather too quickly which startles Riley. The bottle in her hand drops, hitting the table pretty roughly with liquid flying everywhere. "Oh, I am so sorry." Lucas apologizes as he grabs a towel and squats to clean the floor.

"Yeah, you're sorry a lot these days." Riley says as she holds a cup of soda in her hand. She watches as Lucas cleans the floor with a wet towel and she rolls her eyes before she let the cup tilt in her hands, wetting Lucas in the process.

Lucas makes a chilling noise. The soda was really cold and it had hit his neck. "Riley, why did you do that?" He asks after slowly standing.

Riley smiles. "It felt pretty good to do." She laughs. After her laughter subsides, she places the cup on the table as Lucas watches her. Soda dripping from his wet hair. She had to admit: that boy looked sexy whether his hair was wet or dry. Riley keeps walking only to be suddenly lifted into the air. "Ahhh!" Riley shrieks.

Lucas throws her onto the couch, pinning her legs. He firmly puts his hands on her arms, not allowing her to move them. The first thing Riley sees is her legs, seeing that she just opened her eyes. When her eyes uncontrollably lifts, she blushes after seeing how close the two were. Her eyes slowly continues, seeing his shirt hang a little. She can see his stomach skin (if that makes sense). She then begins to wonder if Lucas's abs were showing. Her eyes continue to move forward. She sees his kissable mouth and nose. As soon as she is about to lay her eyes on his, something wet drops on her eyelid. The wet substance came from Lucas's wet hair, also known as soda.

"Now that felt pretty good to do..." Lucas says. "...since you decided to poor soda on me." He growls, looking down at Riley's face. He watches as her eyes uncomfortably shifts. "Oh what's wrong now? Cat got your tongue."

"No, but Josh will have yours if you don't get off of me." Riley threatens. A knowing smile takes control of her lips. She can be evil, but Lucas wasn't so easy to let go.

"You do know that I am stronger than your brother." Lucas reminds Riley. "And so, if he ever tries to touch my tongue, he will be on that ground crying for help from his twin sister who will be too busy trying to stop me from going any further."

Riley gulps. "Why do you know me so well?" This questions unconsciously spills from her mouth. This makes Lucas laughs and he climbs off. Riley begins to dust herself off. "Thanks."

"No problem." Lucas says. Soon, it gets quiet...too quiet for Lucas's liking. He clears his throat. "Listen, Riley I was wrong for leaving you hanging and I'm truly sorry. There. Just believe me." Riley turns away after she hears what the cowboy say. Lucas grabs Riley's face and turns it to his. Her eyes looking into his. "If it makes you feel any better, I left her at the Strip Bar alone without telling her that I was ditching her."

This seems to get Riley smiling. "Really?" Riley's smile brightens then she lets out a sad sigh. "Okay, I'm sorry for being a selfish brat. I wanted to forgive you. I did. But, I didn't want to if you were still seeing that poor excuse for a woman."

Lucas laughs. "No, I'm done with her." His laughter quickly disappears and he becomes confused. "Wait, if I was still dating her, you wouldn't forgive me? But why?"

"It's complicated." Riley answers.

"O-okay." Lucas stammers out. "Um, so I think I should get going." He says, standing from the couch.

"Wait!" Riley shouts and runs into Lucas, who get caught off guard. Lucas slowly and confusingly wraps his arms around Riley's petite body. They were hugging. It was something that Riley wanted to do since forever, and now she has gotten the chance to do it. Her life was complete, while Lucas's life was just getting started.

The smell of her hair makes him speak. "Oh my gosh, I love you so much." Luckily, the last part was mumbled. Riley only heard the 'oh my gosh' part.

"What?" Riley asks and pulls away. Lucas's eyes grow wide and he scratches his neck nervously.

"Hehe..." He nervously laughs.

Riley laughs. "Hehe...really?" Riley shakes her head. "See you tomorrow, Bucky."

Lucas smiles. "Bucky? Stealing names from Maya, I see."

 **{*****}**

SLAM!

In one quick swoop, Josh felt his legs give out as he falls to floor.

 _Did that just happen?_ He thought to himself. It seemed like everything that happened was a dream. There was no way his Uncle Shawn went to town on him, right? _I f*cked up. I f*cked up bad_.

"Yo, Josh!" Someone calls out to Josh, but the brunette didn't think twice to acknowledge the guy. "Yo, Josh. My m—"

"—Dude, will you please leave me alone?" Josh grits under his teeth, still looking down at the carpet floor.

The guy laughed. "Oh, what's wrong? Having girl problems?! Couldn't get your d*ck to work right?" At this point, Josh could hear a few more people laugh. Looks like the random had a flock of people supporting him.

"Take a picture!" One other guy calls out.

Click.

"Post it!" That was the last thing Josh heard before the group disappeared.

 _I'm so pathetic._ Josh thinks to himself. _I'm sitting here on the floor in the open where everyone can see me. I look like a lost dog. But, you know what? I don't care. I am lost. I don't know where I should go from here. Usually, if I'm upset, I'd call a girl and we'd hook up, but that's old Josh. I made a promise to myself and Uncle Shawn to drop this bad boy persona. But, how can I do that? I'm known around this school as the hottest nonchalant Sophomore Flakesville Snowbears' football player. How can I drop something when it's apart of who I am? But now, I'm making excuse because I know that I can do better. I just choose not to, but now I have to choose to move forward in the right direction. But...what path should I take? Ugh...this is so frustrating._

Finally, in what seemed like ten long and quiet minutes, Josh stands and starts to walk, but then he stops and turns around.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

 _Wait, what in the hell am I doing?_ He thinks to himself. _I'm knocking on the door, basically asking Uncle Shawn to scold me again. I just want to apologize...to Maya. I don't owe anything to anyone but Maya, because I set her up. No, I never planned on having sex with her then running off; however, when I came over here, I was prepared to just leap right into it. I wanted to jump right into a relationship that would've 95% ended badly, because let's face it...a guy like me doesn't deserve a girl like Maya..._

 _...And that's probably how it should be._

With that, Josh quickly leaves and presses the 'down' button on the elevator.

Maya opens the door. "Hello?" She says into the air, but there was no one standing there.

Ding!

She heard and quickly ran back to her room and slipped on her fluffy house shoes. Her dad was currently in the bathroom for the second time that night. Apparently, his bladder isn't what it used to be.

Maya whips around the corner and sees the elevator doors closing. She runs quickly to it and sticks her leg out, blocking the doors from shutting.

There, leaning on the wall, was Josh...who upon seeing Maya's arrival, began wiping the wet streaks off his cheeks.

"Oh, Josh..." Maya says softly before pulling him into a hug. It was moments like this that Maya treasured, because it's when Josh is vulnerable. It's hard to catch Josh breaking down and needing comfort. For the first time in her life, Maya gets to be here for Josh. He was/is always there for her and Riley, so it feels good to Maya to return the favor. "It's gonna be okay."

Josh sniffs then struggles to say, "Yeah."

Maya feels Josh's head buried deep down into her shoulder, trying to hide the tears. Maya smiles a little at how tall he is; she is almost at his shoulder but not quite there.

He pulls away then turns to face the wall as he continues to wipe his face.

"Would you stop it?" Maya exclaims. "Josh, I don't care that you're crying. It doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."

Josh shakes his head. "I don't cry in front of women." He admits.

Maya sighs and walks closer to Josh before hugging him from behind. Her arms wrapped perfectly around his waist. "It's okay to cry in front of women. It doesn't make you any less of a man." She tells him and lays her head on his back. "I cry in front of you all the time, and I don't care. So, you can cry in front of me, okay?"

Josh sighs, "Okay." He agrees.

Maya closes her eyes as she takes in this position. Any other day, Josh would've quickly got out of this hug but today was different. "What my dad said—"

"—was right." Josh answers. "He didn't say anything that wasn't true. And Maya, I'm gonna change. Even if I don't get you, I'm gonna change because I want to. I need to, because I don't want to end up like one of them professional asshole football players. I'm—"

Maya finishes Josh's sentence. "—more than that." Josh smiles hearing Maya say that. The fact that Maya knew what he was thinking felt amazing to him. "I've been stuck trying to figure out why I have such a big crush on you. And, I finally came to realization that this isn't just a crush. I'm in love." Maya couldn't believe she was actually saying all of this. Josh, meanwhile, stands there motionless as he tries to take all of this information in. "I'm in love with sweetheart Josh. You have some douche ways. For the longest, it's been hard to decipher whether it was a crush or love..." Maya heard Josh sigh. "My dad was right. You've become this other person while still being your own person, but soon that other side will completely take over. I believe that's why I'm having such a hard time with you."

She was right, and Josh knew that.

Ding!

Josh clears his throat. "Okay, um..." He gently breaks Maya off of him. "I'll...um...see you around."

"Yeah." Maya uncomfortably whispers.

Josh leaves Maya in the elevator.

He just left her.

Maya begins tearing up...not because he just left her but because her father was telling the truth. Josh has some asshole issues that he needs to fix, but the sweet Josh she knew and still knows is somewhere in there. It comes out every now and then...Maya won't give it.

The elevator begins to close, but suddenly someone's foot stops it from closing.

Maya lifts her head to see Josh approaching. And in one quick motion, Josh pulled her into a kiss. Maya had no time to process what was happening. Was Josh really kissing her?

"I love you, too." He whispers to her before he quickly dips out of the elevator again.

Maya stood there motionless.

 _Wait...what?_ She thinks to herself. _What just happened?_

 **{*****}**

Zay laughs. "Haha, you got me again." He whispers in her ear as the two lock lips. Rachel suddenly pulls back, which puts Zay on high alert. "Wait, did I do something wrong? Is your lip bleeding?!" Zay exclaims, jumping up and looking down at the beautiful girl who sits love-sickly on the bed (don't worry—both have their clothes on).

Rachel laughs and shakes her head. "No, but..."

"But..." Zay drags it out.

"Can we keep this on the low?" Rachel asks.

Zay smiles. "Yeah, totally." He says before leaning in to kiss her again, but she moves away. "Okay, what's up this time?"

She looks the boy up and down as if he was disgusting. "The more time I don't see you, the better I'll behave in the morning in front of the school. I don't need anyone other than the girls suspecting anything. Stuff gets around." Rachel says, standing and pushing him out of the dorm-apartment. "So, you really do need to leave right now."

"Right now?" Zay whines.

Rachel nods before slamming the door. A smile creeps on the corner of her lips. "Yeah, right now..."

 **6:00 AM**

Missy opens her eyes before shutting them again, feeling like complete crap. After two days of a poisoned stomach, her life has been lying on a couch sleeping like it's nothing. However, Missy couldn't help to not overlook that she felt someone's arm around her. Plus, whatever she was lying on was too comfy to be a couch.

 _Maybe Rachel put me in her bed._ Missy thinks to herself with her eyes still closed.

Missy finally opens her eyes and looks to the side, noticing the blonde handsome devil sleeping beside her. She almost screams but fights the urge to—besides, Chris is a nice jock, which means that waking him up is a big no no for those type of jocks. They'll turn mean in a quick heartbeat. (I had some experience.)

"You're staring at me." The sound of his voice makes her jump. If it wasn't for his arm, she would be hitting the ceiling right now face first. Chris opens those pretty eyes that she can't help but get lost in, and she feels her cheeks get redder by the minute. A cute manly chuckle escapes his lips. "You look cute when you're blushing." He lifts his head, and it reveals his bare chest. This gets Missy thinking. Chris looks down at her with that smirk on his lips. "Here." He leans down and kisses her. "Morning."

"Y-you're sh-shirt-shirtless." Missy stutters.

Chris moves his eyes in a 'duh' way. "Yeah, so what." He hunches his shoulders, and Missy felt like passing out. She watches as he gets out of the bed. The long cover slowly sliding off of him. It inches closer and closer to his mid-section, and she is very much wishing that he doesn't have pants. Unfortunately for her, he does. Well, he has blue shorts.

"So..." He says, sliding into a shirt. "Rachel let me take care of you if you were wondering."

Missy shakes her head. "I wasn't."

Chris puts on a cocky smile. "That's what I like to hear." He suddenly turns to his drawer. "Oh, there are your clothes and products and what not. Rachel picked them out for you. Don't worry, I didn't go through anything." He says.

"Thanks." Missy says before she grabs her things and slip into the bathroom.

"Welcome." Chris says into the hallway.

 **End of Flashback—Present Time**

"Luke, would you rub this on me?" Josh asks Lucas, holding a bottle of Smooth Skin Care in his hand. Josh is obsessed with his skin and how it looks.

Lucas makes a face. "Dude, we're basically already naked in this room. Stop making it more awkward." Lucas tells his best friend as he slides on his football pants, hugging his legs really tight. Lucas looks up to see Josh's face: the face that meant that he really needed his best bro's help. Lucas groans. "Fine. Turn around." Josh does as Lucas says.

"Bro, I f*cked up with Uncle Shawn." Josh tells Lucas.

Lucas chuckles, "Okay yeah. What's new? You're always doing something."

"No but for real, I was crying at the end of our talk." Josh always confides in Lucas. He's the first person to know everything, no matter what it is. "I...um...I took your advice and got off my butt to go tell Maya how I felt, but...(sigh) it didn't exactly go as planned." Josh shakes his head. "I messed up, but I want to fix it. But I don't know how."

Lucas stops rubbing lotion on him for a minute to tell him this, "I'm not a relationship expert but I am a Josh expert. And if there's anything I know about my best friend, he always pull through. So you go and prove to Shawn and whoever else that you can handle yourself. He just wants to know if Maya is safe with you. Physically, he knows you'll protect her and beat someone's ass if they come for her. Emotionally, he's unsure and he should be! You're like the biggest f*cking idiot I've ever met!" Lucas laughs and Josh wanted to flip him to the ground, but he knew what Lucas was saying was right. And, it was funny hearing Lucas curse because it's so rare. He only curses when he's fired up, passionate, or upset...so not a lot times he'll have the pleasure of hearing Lucas curse.

"I kissed her." Josh admits.

"WHAT!" Lucas exclaims.

Josh nods. "And I told her that I love her."

Lucas is shocked. "Wow. That's Joshua Gabriel Matthews for you." He laughs. "Don't rush it. Take your time. She'll wait for you. Just...don't screw it up."

Josh sighs, "Yeah. I know." He smiles as Lucas begins rubbing lotion on him again. "Thanks. I love you, you know that. You're very easy to talk to."

Lucas chuckles, "I love you too, bro."

"Wait...you give such good relationship advice to NOT be in a relationship." Josh tells him.

Lucas sighs. "Yeah, my night last night was such a wake up call. I'm not good with dating, but I am good with family & friends. They come first." He explains. "I had a needed wake up call, and I'm glad I picked up." He smiles, thinking about how his night turned from bad to great. Riley is such a blast to be around. "Can't believe I picked Jennifer over Riley...Never again." He mumbles to himself.

Josh raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Jennifer? Wait...not blonde Jennifer?" He asks.

"Yeah." Lucas admits.

"Wait! No..."Josh was shocked. "Dude, that was the girl I slept with that night. Remember the morning I gave you the nut shot and was telling you I needed to get this girl out of our place? That was her!"

Lucas groans, "Oh what the f*ck! Goddammit, Josh! You could've told me that before I..."

"Sorry. I didn't know." Josh says. "You got with my leftover." He burst in a fit of laughter.

Lucas growls. "Keep laughing and your back with be as dry as a desert."

Meanwhile, Zay is tying his cleats making sure that they are tight enough to not tie again. He has yet to put on his shoulder pads, meaning that he's sitting there with his lower body clothed and not his upper body. "What's up!" Billy greets, coming over to sit by Zay.

Zay gives Billy a weird look. "Um, go and get dressed." He says.

"Oh, I am." Billy says, slipping off his shirt showing his bare chest and abs.

"When did you ever trick your mind to get dressed like a normal football player?" Zay asks.

Billy is the type of football player that hates getting ready in front of his fellow players. So to see Billy changing in front of him was a complete surprise for Zay.

"Oh, I don't know." Billy says, hunching his shoulders as he slips off his pants leaving him in nothing but his boxers. "I'm just feeling particularly good today." Billy puts his hands on each side of the hem of his boxers, questioning to pull them down.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Lookie here!" Billy freezes before noticing that it was Chris. "Trying to give Zay a lap dance?" Chris asks, laughing before patting Billy on the shoulder. "Kidding, man."

Billy lets out a slow and nervous laughs. "No! I think the pills I took last night got me acting all weird." He admits. _Damn pills..._

Zay laughs, "Yeah, tell me about it."

Meanwhile—Meanwhile **(Two meanwhiles...just go with it)** , the girls already have their cheerleader outfits on. They are waiting outside of the men's locker room, conversing among themselves only to notice that the boys were taking too long.

"What are they doing in there?" Missy asks, trying to peek in but she could see nothing but one guy with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Making out." Maya suggests which makes the girls burst into laughter.

Missy scoffs, "What would you know about making out?"

Maya raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Because I've done it before."

"Wait..." Missy clears her throat. "When I'm talking about making out, I'm talking about all the kissing and the touching of the body...you know, sex."

Maya gawks at this. "That is so not what making out is!"

Riley shakes her head. "I've never did your making out or yours." She points back and forth between Maya and Missy.

"I did Maya's making out last night with Zay." Rachel just wanted to say that out loud. She feels good about what she accomplished.

"Well..." Maya says. "I'm apparently not fortunate enough to get any d*ck, so..."

Missy's mouth drops open. "You're a virgin!" She was shocked. "I could've sworn Riley was the only virgin in this group."

"But don't tell anyone else!" Maya quickly begs. "Please..."

Rachel nods. "Of course. But it is nice knowing Missy and I are superior in the sex department."

Maya and Riley both roll their eyes. "Whatever!" They say simalataneously.

"Hey girls!" The voice sounds so familiar. Everyone turns around to see...ugh, Jennifer. "You know, peeking into the men's locker room can get you kicked off the team. And, since I didn't get what I want..." Jennifer says, looking a little hungover. She glares at Riley. "I can prevent you girls from getting what you want."

"Jennifer, I don't think—" Rachel begins to speak.

Jennifer interrupts. "—It doesn't matter what you think!" She gives the girls an evil smile before calling the coach's name, who was inside of the men's locker room. Jennifer pushes through, running towards the coach. The girls do the same, running after her begging her to not do it. Soon, Jennifer stops in front of the coach who was busy talking with a player.

It was useless.

Jennifer was going to tell.

Might as well get a good look of this place now, because it'll be their last.

Riley's eyes scan the room for the only boy that was hot in her eyes. And fortunately, she found him rubbing lotion on her brother's back. Riley nudges Maya, who looks at the same image. "Oh my gosh..." Maya says. "I can't wait until that's me rubbing that on him."

"And I can't wait to get rubbed." Riley mumbles.

"And then he's naked!" Maya softly exclaims. Her cheeks get red just thinking about him. Josh wasn't completely naked. He had boxer briefs on but that was it.

Riley smiles and rolls her eyes.

"—yes, they are so peeking!" Jennifer finishes telling the coach. It looks like Maya and Riley were so occupied in Boy Land that they didn't realize that Jennifer was snitching on them.

"Girls, you do know that this is a violation and you'll no longer be able to cheer for this team." Coach says.

"What's going on here?" Josh asks from behind. He has on those football tights now that hugged his leg just the way Maya wanted to hug his—okay, Maya has a dirty mind.

"These girls were peeking." Coach says which makes Jennifer nod in agreement. "And you know that we have a rule against peeping."

"Unless..." Josh says.

"Unless?" Jennifer questions, fearing the worst.

Swiftly, Josh swings an arm around Maya. "Unless the girl is your girlfriend in which...Maya Hart is!" Josh says and leans down to capture her lips. His mouth moves to her ear. "I had to kiss you. It's the rule. I'm sorry." He whispers into her ear before pulling away and looking at the coach. _There's nothing to be sorry about._ Maya thinks to herself.

"Okay, that's one girl...but I see three others." Coach says.

"This one is with me." Chris suddenly appears and captures Missy's lips. She was about to pass out in that kiss.

"And this one..." Zay appears and forcefully turns Rachel around only to capture her lips. "...is with me."

Missy, Riley, and Maya all stand there shocked along with Joshua, Chris, and a now-appearing Lucas.

"Okay, but what about this one?" The coach says, pointing at Riley.

"That's the thing. Nothing." Jennifer says. "She doesn't have a boyfriend in here."

Riley looks down at her shoes. Josh tilts his head towards Riley as he eyes Lucas. Lucas's eyes widens and he shakes his head. Josh glares at him, and Lucas mindfully groans. "And um...she's with me." Lucas says, wrapping an arm around Riley's waist.

"How do I know that you aren't lying?" Coach says, folding his arms.

Lucas argues with himself before he leans down and captures Riley's lips. A spark goes through their lips and Lucas not-so-obviously pulls away (meaning he pulls away slowly). For his reason, it was the rules and it was the only way Riley would get out of this mess. The coach hunches his shoulders and leave with a following Jennifer who kept trying to convince the coach to their lying ways.

"Thanks." Riley thanks Lucas. She knows that it's nothing more, but she really wanted it to be more.

Lucas just nods his head before slowly walking away. Riley watches as he walks away. His walk. His Texan accent. His body. His hair. And now, she can add his lips to the list. All of these things makes Riley go crazy for this boy, and it gets harder and harder to hide it.

* * *

 **A/N: We are at the end of the 3-Parter. The next chapter will be coming soon. I have been pretty busy for the most part, so the updates have been pretty late. I know it's too long for the third part, but I hope it made up especially for you Rucas and Joshaya fans out there.**

 **Looks like RUCAS will finally happen, seeing that it's the only non-non-official couple in this story. Joshaya isn't official yet, but they've kissed almost two times already...and have said some deep gushy stuff. So their romance is bound to happen at any moment.**

 **Around this time, I had 100 reviews. But I am extremely grateful for every response, PM, follow, and favorite because you guys are awesome.**

 **AND TO THE GUEST WHO WROTE THIS:**

 _To Joshaya and every other reviewer asking Maya is NOT a virgin. Repeat NOT a VIRGIN. She wasn't in the original and it's obvious she isn't in the revamped so your dream of Josh being her first ain't going to happen. She's already been a place or two and it's obvious._

 **TURNS OUT YOU'RE WRONG!**

 **I was gonna have her virginity revealed another way, but the guests comments became too much when I would constantly say "THIS STORY IS REVAMPED AND YOU NEVER KNOW". That's how stories get rushed sometimes, because us authors are trying to put out content that'll please our readers.**

 **Again, sorry for the wait! Hope you loved it.**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite!**

 **TheRealSkystorm**


	9. Shut Down

Chapter IX _: **Shut Down**_

 _"With 48-0, The Flakesville Snowbears are leading going into Half-Time! John, Number 8 has really been impressing me tonight. He alone scored 3 of the 7 touchdowns. This guy is going to be something serious in the future, AND THIS IS ONLY HIS SOPHOMORE YEAR! That's amazing!"_

 _"I agree with you there, Wayne. But, let's not forget the others. The Flakesville Snowbears made 7 touchdowns and successfully kicked 6 out of 7 field goals. Their kicker, Number 29—Billy Ross, ain't nothing to play with either. How in the hell did he make 85% of those field goals without switching kickers? And let's not forget the star quarterback, Number 12—Parker White, doing what he does best. He scored 2 touchdowns. The calls he makes for the team is outstanding. I would be devastated if I don't see this Senior in the Big Leagues."_

 _"Number 8—Joshua Matthews is the stand out here, though John. He's a BEAST!"_

The screen goes blank.

"AHHHH!" The crowd of Flakesville football players groan.

Coach Thompson chuckles and gives the tv remote to the assistant coach. "Y'all are something else." He says shaking his head. "Listen, we've got a lead…A BIG LEAD…so, cheer up! You can watch the college football halftime show when you're safe and sound in your dorms in Colorado. Alright?"

"Fine!" Parker, the star quarterback and college Senior, agrees. He turns to Josh and pats him on the back. "You're killing it, dude. I'm impressed." He says with a big smile on his face. "And Billy," He turns to Billy. "Great job with the field goals."

Billy smiles and nods at him before giving Parker a handshake and a shoulder tap.

"That's just what I do, Baby!" Billy boasts loud and proud.

Everyone is cheering him on and slapping his ass (because you know that's what football players do); meanwhile, Lucas is sitting down in the back as he grits his teeth together.

It takes a lot to piss Lucas off. When he's eventually pissed off at someone, they must have really drove him crazy. In this case, it was Billy. Along with his boasting and big ego, Billy has a problem with not cooperating with his team. He's like a ball hog, if this was basketball. He and Lucas are the team's field goal kickers. Unfortunately for Lucas, Billy doesn't know how to share; it defiantly doesn't help that Billy is such a good kicker. The coach loves him, and he loves Lucas too. But as long as Billy keeps scoring, the coach won't mind Billy making every field goal. This is bad for Lucas, because he never gets to get on the field and put his kicking skills to the test.

"What's up, Luke?" Josh taps Lucas's shoulder. "Cheer up. We're winning 48-0. There isn't a damn way in the world The Rocky Roosters…or let's say Rocky Loosers…haha! There isn't a way they catch up." Josh was super excited. "Lucas," He shakes Lucas. Lucas is basically motionless as Josh bobbles him around. "We're gonna win. This will put us on the map." If it already wasn't said, Josh is super excited.

Lucas looks up at Josh with one of the coldest and scariest glares Josh had ever seen in his life. Josh felt like he peed his football tights a little.

"W-what's wrong, br—" Josh didn't get to finish his sentence before Lucas stood and shoved Josh to the side a little. He watches as Lucas slid through the crowd of his loud football teammates before walking out of the locker room. "What in the entire f*ck just happened?!"

"Yo!" Chris walks over to Josh with a confused look and finger pointed in the direction of the exit door. "What's wrong with Lucas? He looked pissed off." Chris has never seen Lucas upset.

Josh shrugs. "I-I-Chris, I'm just as confused as you." He says.

Zay approaches the two. "Hey, does anyone know what's wrong with Lucas?" He asks the two.

"Who cares?!" Billy suddenly appears and inserts himself into the conversation. "We're in a 48-0 winning game, and he wants to go pout like a baby! Whatever he's upset about shouldn't be our focus now. We have two quarters left!" Billy tells the group.

Josh shakes his head. "No, that's my brother. We work on the field together. I don't need him upset, because A) I'm always there for him on a personal level and B) his head needs to be in the game!" Josh explains to Billy in particular.

Billy scoffs, "Man whatever." He says. "When you find out what it is and he stops acting like a b*tch, come find me. Stop making excuse for h—"

"I'm not making excuses for him, Billy!" Josh raises his voice a little. He steps up to Billy, looking him dead in his eyes. "If I'm concerned for my brother—"

Billy cuts Josh off. "First of all, he ain't your brother. Second, don't come getting all in my personal space unless you're trying to fight. Because sh*t like THIS…" He does the talking gesture. "…the talking is not what I do." Billy declares.

Chris gets in between the two guys. "Woah. Woah. Alright, that's enough." He says, holding Josh back.

Zay begins pushing Billy backwards with his back. "This has just escalated for no reason." Zay states, shaking his head.

Billy kept feeling Zay's behind push up against him in the most uncomfortable way known to Billy. "Would you stop pushing your ass up against my d*ck?!" Billy calls out. "Damn!"

It's very shocking no one is witnessing this heated argument. Where's the coach when he's needed?

"When you stop acting like an idiot, I'll stop _backing my ass up_ against you." Zay claims, rolling his eyes. _Men and their giant freaking egos_! Zay thinks to himself.

Billy uses all his strength to shove Zay to the ground. "I'm not with _that_." He puts emphasis on this word. "Don't put your ass on my d*ck, like I said. I'm not one of your play buddies back in middle school." He barks before he angrily walks away from the other three.

Chris looks at Josh with a raised eye. "What in the hell is happening today?"

 **{*****}**

"Give me a S!" Clap. Clap. "Give me a N." Clap. Clap. "Give me an O." Clap. Clap. "Give me a W." Clap. Clap. "Give me a B." Clap. Clap. "Give me an E." Clap. Clap. "Give me an A." Clap. Clap. "Give me an R." Clap. Clap. "And Another S, Please." Clap. Clap. High kick. "What are we? The Snowbears!"

The Flakesville Snowbears Cheerleading Coach, Lisa Stewart, applauds the crew of participating cheerleaders. "Great, girls. 5 min break and then we'll continue."

Riley turns to Maya. "It's the last quarter and we still have 48-0. This is gonna be a blow out!" Riley was excited, because her team maintained to keep the game following halftime.

"This is the best they've ever looked in a game." Maya says, surprised that Flakesville was scoring so well.

Riley smiles and nods her head. "Yeah...hey, isn't there something special today?" Riley suddenly has this thought.

Maya ponders for a moment before shaking her head. "No, nothing that I can remember. No birthdays. You and your brother's birthday is on Valentine's Day. Lucas's birthday is in March. Missy's and Zay's birthdays are in July. Rachel's birthday is in December." She pauses then looks at Riley. "Tell me if I'm missing something, okay. So...my birthday is in May. I don't know Chris's. And Billy's just passed on August 14th. That's everybody, right?"

Riley nods. "Yeah but it still feels like something important is today..."

"Ladies..." That could only be the one and only, Farkle Minkus.

Riley and Maya turn around to see Farkle, holding eight water bottles. "FARKLE!" They exclaim as both pull him into a little group hug.

At first, Farkle's body gets stiff; no, it has nothing to do with how beautiful the girls are. Farkle has gotten plenty of hugs from Riley when they were little. Maya, on the other hand, had to be in a really good move that day. However, it seems like Flakesville has changed her. Don't get Farkle wrong: He loves Maya the way she is or has been, but this change has been a very pleasing surprise. He does acknowledge that old Maya is in there somewhere, but she's not as rebellious and scary to be around. She was already cool, but now she's...fantastic, for a lack of a better word.

"Oh...thank you. I didn't know how much I needed that hug." Farkle says after the hug ends. "Anyways," He lifts the tray to his chest and puts on a smile. "Water bottle?"

Maya chuckles at how cute Farkle looked. "You're so cute." Yes, this just escaped Maya's lips.

Riley freezes tight in her spot. "W-what? Did you just—"

"—say that I'm cute?" Farkle finishes. His once 'put on' smile suddenly turns into a more genuinely happier one.

Maya rolls her eyes. "When I said that, I meant in a little brother cute way." She explains.

Farkle shrugs. "Still, you called me cute. I've never heard you call me that. Hmm..." Farkle rubs his chin in an investigating way. "Does Maya have someone in her life that's making her say these things?"

"No." Maya quickly answers.

Riley pushes her lips together and squints her eyes. "You said that too quick. What else happened with you and Josh?" She asks.

Maya shakes her head. "Nothing else happened. Just..." She paused, realizing that Farkle was standing there. "Everything I told you. That's all."

"What happened?" Farkle questions. He puts the tray of eight water bottles on the ground before standing and folding his arms across his chest. He eyes Maya as she shakes her head and looks elsewhere. A whistle can be heard as the ref calls a 'down' on a play. "Maya..." Farkle says a little bit more stern. Riley can't help but to smile as she watches Farkle continue to pressure Maya into telling him about _that kiss_.

Maya sighs, "Fine. But you have to promise to not say anything to anyone." She makes him promise and they pinky-swear. "The only people that know are Riley, Missy, and Rach—"

"—YOU TOLD MISSY AND RACHEL BEFORE ME?!" Farkle exclaims. "I'm so hurt." Farkle feigns a broken heart, prompting Riley to burst out in laughter and Maya to swat his shoulder.

Maya couldn't help but to smile a little at Farkle. He was such a sweet kid. A great friend. One that Maya wished she would've paid more attention to when they were in middle and high school. "Josh kissed me." Maya tells him.

Farkle shrugs, "Okay. That's nothing new, right? Didn't you two kiss before?"

"...And he told me that he loved me."

"WHAT?!" Farkle exclaims, jumping up and down like a little kid on a candy rush. A few people close by turned their attention to them. "Sorry!" Farkle announces to the strangers before turning his attention back to Maya. "Really? I'm so happy for you."

Maya smiles, "Thanks. But, it's not a big deal. I mean, he was probably just telling me that to make me feel better or something."

"MAYA!" Farkle groans. He places both of his hands on the opposite shoulders of the 'in disbelief' blonde. "Stop that. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it. I mean, I know Josh. YOU know Josh more than I do. The only people he tells that to is Riley...and Lucas." He says then folds his arms. "You know...to be quite honest, I am creaped out by how close Lucas and Josh are. Tell me I'm not the only one." Farkle wants to not be alone on this thought.

Riley shakes her head. "No, they've always been like that. I keep telling people they're twins—"

"—Which is ironic because you're literally Josh's twin." Farkle laughs.

Maya nods in agreement. "Yeah," She sighs, "They know each other so well. When one is down, the other's down. When one's happy, the other one's happy. When one's ready to fight, the other is ready..." Both Riley and Maya laugh at how accurate Maya's statement was.

The sound of a three whistles made for one large screeching sound.

"Um...guys..." Riley and Maya look at the worry on Farkle's face before turning around to witness whatever he was scared about.

"Oh no..." Maya and Riley say simultaneously.

"Guys!" Rachel and Missy both run full speed to the other three.

There, lying on the ground of the Rocky Rooster's field clutching their stomach to death was...Joshua Matthews.

"Oh my god..." Maya's hand flies to her mouth as an unknown noise begins to spill from her mouth.

"JOSH!" Riley screams at the top of her lungs from outside the field's lines.

Farkle pulls Maya in a hug as the other three girls look on. Riley was beside herself, while both Rachel and Missy stood there in absolute shock.

"What in the hell!" Missy shouts, pointing to a situation happening a few feet away from Josh.

"You were suppose to block for him, dumbass!" Billy scolds at Lucas. He pushes Lucas back, who let out a growl under his breath. That was a lot strength Billy used. If Lucas wasn't so strong, he would've fell back. "What was that? Oh, you're growling like a dog now? Well maybe you can transform into a pitbull so you can actually start blocking appropriately! Weak ass..."

There's only so much you can take before...*PUNCH*

"Woah! Woah!" You can hear Chris's voice as he and Zay approach the two.

Chris holds Lucas back, while Zay holds Billy.

"You want to punch, country boy! Come on! Go ahead! Do it again! I dare you!" Billy barks to Lucas, trying very hard to get out of Zay's embrace.

"Woah! Ok, we can...do...without the...name calling." Zay tells Billy in between the resting spots of trying to keep him away from Lucas.

Suddenly, the Flakesville Star Quarterback—Parker White—approaches the war zone. "Woah! Woah! What in the entire f*ck is going on here?!" He stands in the middle, looking back and forth.

"Zay, let me go! Let me go!" Billy struggles to escape Zay's arms. "He just punched me!" Billy yells out loud, continuing to struggle against Zay.

Parker runs to Coach Thompson. "We've got a situation. I'm gonna handle it. We'll be in the locker room, seeing as we've got time with this Josh situation right now." Parker says, turning around to see refs and sport doctors circling around the star in his own right.

"Thank you." Coach Thompson pats Parker on his shoulder. "I made you the team leader for a reason. Thanks for taking care of that while I focus on Matthews right now."

Parker nods before running over to the group and ordering Zay and Chris to follow him to the back.

 **{*****}**

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this happened." Rachel whispers to Maya, Missy, Riley, and Farkle as the five sneak into the locker room area.

"I—Wow!" Missy was lost for words.

"Shh-Shh! Wait!" Farkle whisper-shouts and stretches his arms out to stop the group. "I can hear them." He says. "See, lean up against the door a little. Hear that?"

On the other side of the door, Lucas is sitting down on the floor with his head resting backwards on the lockers as he stares straight ahead. Chris is standing near Lucas for the time being, while Parker stands in the middle. Billy, of course, is pacing back and forth, trying to decide whether to charge at Lucas or not. Every time Billy walks near Lucas, Zay walks quickly behind; Zay is prepared to take position.

"Ok! Can someone please explain to me what in the hell happened here?!" Parker asks again.

"Country Boy punched me in the face out there, and I'm still granted an ass whooping." Billy claims.

Parker turns his head to Lucas. "Lucas, is this true?" He asks.

To be honest, Billy started the fight with shoving Lucas. However, it seems like Lucas isn't in a talking mood, seeing that he has locked his eyes on the set of lockers that's across the room.

Parker sighs. "Lucas?" This time, he put some tone in his voice. "Lucas, if you don't tell me your side, I'm going to have to side with Billy on this one and you'll be suspended for 6 weeks minimum."

Chris and Zay quickly jump into action.

"Alright," Chris begins speaking his peace. "It's not that serious. They're friends. They've known each other for some time now. This...fight or whatever you wanna call it...It's not something to worry about."

Zay nods his head in agreement. "Yeah, Parker, it's fine." He backs Chris.

"Fine my ass..." Billy exclaims and shakes his head. "He punched me in the face. He should be suspended. Period." Billy wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. For some reason, he wants Lucas suspended from the team. The Billy that Zay has always known would just let bygones be bygones. So, what was the problem this time? "You're the team leader, Parker. What's the call?"

 **{*****}**

"Ah! Ow! Ssssss!" Josh moans in pain as Chris and Zay help carry him to the couch. There, they gently place him on it, trying not to cause Joshua anymore pain. "Thanks guys." He thanks them.

Chris pats his shoulder. "You're a trooper. Call us if you need any help." He tells him.

Zay nods, "Yeah. You got our numbers."

Josh nods his head. "Yeah...but..." He grunts as he tries to shift his body to the side so that he can lie down. Chris runs over and helps him. "Thanks." He tells Chris. "But yeah, man...I'm good. Lucas is...um...Lucas is here." He lets out another moan while clutching his stomach.

"Damn! They hit you hard." A voice suddenly makes an appearance. "You know, if country boy—"

"—stop calling him that!" Zay barks. He was over Billy at the moment.

Billy folds his arms. "Country boy. There, I said it again. Who's gonna stop me?" He smiles, feeling like he won. "What else should I call him? Mr. Perfect? Huh, you like that! Should we stroll down memory lane?"

"Billy, I don't understand what Lucas did to you for you to be acting like such a..." Chris pauses, trying to think of a better word to use than the one he was thinking of at the current time.

"Acting like a what?" Billy asks, stepping forward. Chris didn't back down either.

Chris looks Billy straight in the eyes. "...acting like a d*ck!" He grits his teeth together.

Zay awkwardly slides in between Chris and Billy.

"How many times have I told you to get your ass off my—"

"Why are you acting like such an ass today?" It was Zay's turn with Billy now. "Me _backing my ass up against you_ isn't intentional. You would know that if your immature ass would grow up! This isn't middle or high school, Billy!" Zay argues.

Billy scoffs, "Really? _Oh my gosh, this isn't middle or high school Billy!_ " Billy mimics Zay but uses a way girly tone. "No shit Sherlock!"

"What's your problem?" Josh finally decides to speak.

Billy scoffs again and shrugs his shoulder. "What's my problem? Oh wow...yes, let's turn this into the _Billy You're Wrong_ segment of the night, right?" He shakes his head. "You know what? I'm out of here. Every single time there's anything wrong, I'm always the guy in the wrong. WELL WHAT ABOUT LUCAS!" Billy raises his voice and now his arms are wailing around the air. "HE STARTED IT—"

"—No, YOU started it." Zay corrects him.

Billy turns his attention to Zay. Oh lord..."So, you're defending him now? Why? You two in some secret love affair or something?" There goes Billy throwing out personal information to anyone that will catch it. "You know...like in middle school. No wonder why he stood up for you back then. Explains so much."

"Oh my god! You're such an asshole, dude!" Zay exclaims as he runs out the door.

Chris shakes his head, "You need help bro." And with that, he runs after Zay.

Billy growls under his breath. "You now what? Since everyone seems to be upset with me, how about I do you guys a favor and disappear? Maybe you will learn to appreciate me more." He declares before shaking his head and walking to the door.

"Billy..." Josh pipes from his position on the couch. Billy lets out a sigh as he reluctantly halts and turns around to face him. Josh clears his throat. "You and Zay. What happened? Why do you keep referring to something that some of us know nothing about?" He asks.

Billy laughs, "Oh...you seriously don't know? I thought Lucas tells you everything...hmm..." Billy smirks as he watches Josh's face become slightly upset. "That's nice know. Looks like Ole Country didn't exactly tell you everything."

"Stop calling him that." Even when Josh felt...not included for what seemed like the first time since he met Lucas, he wasn't going to let anyone talk crap about him.

Billy shrugs. "Whatever you say, Matthews...Watch your backs." And with that, Billy leaves and shuts the door.

Josh's eyebrow center in confusion. "Wait is that a threat?" However, Billy is already out of the door. "Why wouldn't he tell me?" This was the next thing that escaped the broken brunette's lips as he stared up at the ceiling. Lucas always told Josh everything, from embarrassing moments to the most heartwrenching ones. "What is so different about Zay's past that Lucas wouldn't want to tell me?" Josh feels as if he was getting nowhere with this thought.

 _If Lucas hid it, he did it for a good reason...right?_ He thinks to himself.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The door opens with Chris running in. "Oh hey! I think...I left..." Chris begins looking around before he grabs possession of what he came for. "My phone. Hey, you're gonna be alright here by yourself?"

It was nice that Chris cared.

Josh nods his head. "I'm fine. Seriously." He says with a smile that suddenly fades into a worried face. "I'm worried about Lucas."

Chris nods his head, "I am too. Alright, I'm gonna go swing by Missy's dorm before I go call it a night—"

"—Oh look at you Mr. Chandler. Dirty Chris stopping by some girl's dorm who appears to be very gorgeous and beautiful..." Josh's giddy smile looks so funny and teasing at the same time.

Chris shoots the idea down. "What? No...none of that." He lies.

On the outside, Chris looks amused. If anyone had to determine the liar in the wrong, he would've fooled them. In the inside, Chris wants to scream and run out of the front door, but he knows that it'll only look suspicious.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The knocks on the door were suddenly followed by two very worried teenage adults.

Chris uses this opportunity to slip out of sight & mind.

"Oh my gosh, Josh!" Riley cries out as she runs to the side of her twin brother. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Oh my gosh, I am going to drag Lucas by the tips of his hair for not blocking for you!" If there wasn't already confirmation, Riley is pissed.

Josh lets out a comforting laugh as he places a soft hand on his twin sister's arm. "It's okay. I'm okay." He tells her. Maya stands a few feet away towards the end of the couch, looking down at Josh and Riley with fear. Josh notices this as well. "Maya, I'm okay. I'm fine. I promise." He promises to Maya, but she doesn't make direct contact.

"Where is he?!" Riley exclaims before she jumps up and starts running around the little dorm-apartment.

Josh looks up to Maya and pats the little space next to his body on the couch. However, Maya looks down at her feet. She couldn't bear to see Josh like this...all beaten and bruised. It was hard.

"Maya..." His tone sounds like a whisper, but he was trying to talk without choking up. He wanted to be strong. He needed to be strong for his sister, his teammates, his best friend (who he still wants to desperately talk to), and most importantly...his girl. "I'm okay. Seriously. I'm a little bruised up, but I can take it. I'm a big guy." A sigh escapes his lips as he watches Maya continuously play with her feet. "Maya..." He says again. "Just...look at me. Please." His voice begins to crack. Maya stops playing with her feet but does not lift her head to look at Josh. "You know I don't like to cry..." He says, holding back his tears.

With that, Maya finally stares into Josh's welled-up eyes. She wants to say something...anything, but none of what she could say would make this situation any better. He was hurting and there wasn't a damn thing Maya could do about it. "I'm sorry." She whispers before tears start falling from her eyes.

"Come here..." He says before pulling her in to a hug. He was lying across the couch with her head in his chest as she sort of sat beside him. He begins to run fingers through her hair as he tries to calm her crying. He even places a kiss on the top of her hair, right in the middle. "It's okay. I'm okay. I'm going to get through this and be back on that field in no time." He says.

Maya sniffs, "I just wish there was more that I could do." She cries harder.

Josh feels the tears trying to burst out of his eyes, but he wouldn't allow them.

"Um...guys..." Riley announces as she walks through the mini hallway. Maya quickly sits up and wipes her eyes while Josh simultaneously does the same thing. Riley finally stands in front of the two with a familiar turquoise colored birthday card. "I found this on Lucas's bedside desk. No wonder he's having a bad day."

Josh was shocked.

No, he wasn't shocked at Lucas.

He was shocked that he forgot.

"The last birthday card Lucas received from his dad...How could I forgot?" Josh groans.

Maya finally remembers too. "Today's the day his dad died."

 **{*****}**

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Coming!" Missy announces as she runs to the door. She quickly swings it open and is very happy, when her cute blonde _friend_ is standing there with a box of pizza in one hand and a wine bottle in the other. "Oooooh, when I said come over so that we can finish eating, I didn't mean food but it'll do. And wine! How were you able to get that? You're not old enough." Missy exclaims as she pulls her boy toy inside and locks the door.

Chris chuckles, "I got my ways. And...when did you tell me to come over to... _finish eating_?" He asks.

Missy watches as Chris sets the pizza and wine on the table before she pushes him down onto the couch. "I texted you." She says, straddling him.

Their lips meet, but Chris quickly pulls apart. "Are you sure you texted me? I never got a text." He tells her.

She leans in and recaptures his lips. "Who cares? You're here now." She says before kissing him again. "You have some really soft lips." She tells him.

"Mhmm...Thank you." He says in between kisses.

"Someone's getting excited." She announces. Chris's cheeks turn red and he looks down, trying to avoid her eyes. "I love when you act all shy and embarrassed. It's cute."

Chris lets out a nervous chuckle. "You hungry?" He asks her, trying to change the subject.

Suddenly, Chris can feel the warmth of Missy's hand sliding down his chest...stomach..and inching towards his little friend. "I am." She says with a little cute giggle. "But, can we—"

"—Okay! Can we not do this right now?" Chris announces as he gently shoves Missy to the side.

Missy pouts. "But babe—"

"—Babe? We're doing that now?" Chris was honestly surprised. "Since when?"

Missy sighs and rolls her eyes. "You do this every time. EVERY. FREAKING. TIME!" Missy screams and jumps up from the couch. "You come over here with your cute tall 6 foot fine ass wearing those button-up shirts that hugs your chest quite nicely. Those jeans...those damn jeans! I just want to rip them off of you! And why do you come in here with the top button of your shirt just open. I swear it talks to me saying _come catch me if you can_...and I fall for it every single time!" She whines before shoving her face into both of her hands.

Silence.

It was never this silent with these two in the wrong. They're usually smacking lips so loud that the people across from them begin to complain...okay that's an exaggeration.

Chris sighs.

"Missy..." He pauses, trying to recollect his thoughts. "I...this friends thing...I don't know—"

"—Already! This hasn't gone on for a whole month and you're already beginning to throw in the towel." Missy says.

Chris stands and walks towards Missy with his arms open wide. "Stop it. Hey, come here.." He says before wrapping his arms around Missy's warm body. Moments like these aren't necessarily had with these two. When they're with each other, it's either spent in a short amount of time or just kissing. There's never many times where they can just talk and be in each other's arms.

Ever since she was little, Missy never understood hugs like these. She always heard of them but thought it was all fairytale. Who ever gets a hug that makes them forget everything around them but that one person who has them wanting their walls to finally start tumbling down? For the longest time, Missy felt as if it was a myth. But now, she totally gets it.

"Missy..." Chris whispers from atop of her head. "I don't want to stop...but I'm not there yet." He admits.

Missy keeps her head placed on Chris's chest as she scrunches her face in confusion. "Meat grabbing is taking it too far?"

Chris lets out a nervous laugh.

What does he tell her?

He can't tell her that he's virgin, right?

But, it wouldn't hurt...but then again, everyone on campus thinks he's done it over 40 times now. Unfortunately, that's what came with Chris being the star basketball turned running back.

"I..." Chris stops himself. "I just think that there are levels and I'm very respectful when it comes to women. I wouldn't just touch their breast without their permission, and I wouldn't want them jerking me around whenever they please." Was that a good save? He thinks to himself. Yeah, I think it was a good one.

"But..." Missy makes whiny noises. "It's no fun with just kissing." She admits and Chris sighs. "But..." She adds, "I understand. I should've asked you first before I started getting handsy. We do have this FwB deal but there's respect that comes with it as well." She explains.

Chris smiles. "Well said." He brings her in for a hug for a second time.

"And...I did tell you not to tell anyone, right?" Missy announces and Chris almost chokes on his own spit after thinking about his spill to Rachel. "Because, I don't want this getting around. People will think I'm a whor—"

"—You're not one, okay babe..." Missy liked that Chris used that word. It made her feel more protected by Chris. He kisses her forehead. "No matter what people say. We made this deal together. We shouldn't be tormented over lust."

Missy sighs and nods. "Yeah. I't just...this isn't a perfect world. And people will do it if they find out."

"F*ck them!" Chris shouts loud and proud. "They're just hating that they didn't think of it first."

Missy smiles and tightens her arms around his body. She kisses his chest through his shirt before looking up at him. His blue eyes never looked sexier. She lets out a sigh, "Alright. I'll behave. We'll take this slow."

"If we just jump right into it, it won't be fun anymore." He tells her. "Slow and steady wins the race."

Missy fake pouts. "I know but...ugh...I just...You know what they say about you tall guys." She whines. "I have never done this with anyone over 5'10'' and here I am with 6'2'' Christopher Chandler. I had to seize my opportunity."

Chris looks down at her with the sweetest smile.

"What?" Missy asks with a smile of her own.

"Nothing." The way he said it was the sexiest thing ever. "You're cute. You know what? I will let you get handsy this one time. ONE TIME." He proposes to her.

Missy was shocked. "Wait...huh? Why?"

"You listened. Most girls don't." He admits. "Annnnd, you're just too cute whining over tall guys and seizing your moment."

"But now I kinda want to wait because I might ruin—" Missy starts explaining but then cut herself off, realizing there was no way she was talking herself out of doing this now that she got permission. "—oh what the hell! You gave me permission."

Chris stares deep into her eyes as she starts to trail down pass his abs. "ONE TIME. One time, Missy..." was shortly followed by a pleasure-filled moan "Oh my god..."

 **{*****}**

The sound of keys clinging and clanging woke Josh from his slumber on the couch.

It was dark. Really dark.

If this was a horror movie, the best strategy would be to keep quiet and say nothing. However, in Josh's case, he knew who the mystery man was. Josh was on a mission to get answers and be a rock for his brother. Today marks 9 years since Lucas's father died in a plane crash. Josh remembered it like it was yesterday. The tears. The heart drop. The consoling. The horrible news. The exciting yet upsetting result. It was a lot for a 10 year old boy to take in. And, Lucas's poor mother almost gave up on her life entirely until the twins' parents talked her out of it and promised to be there for her and Lucas.

"So, you're just gonna go to sleep and pretend like none of this has ever happened?" Josh's sudden voice halts Lucas's body for a moment.

Josh had sat up and could make out Lucas's teen muscular figure. _What must be going on through his head?_ That was a question Josh wishes he had an answer to, but he doesn't...and that's what is scary about this whole thing.

Instead of responding to the rhetorical-yet-not rhetorical question, Lucas continues with his movement and walks into his room.

Josh sighs then runs a hand through his messy hair and sleepy face.

SLAM!

"Oh hell no, he did not just slam that door." Josh sounds like his mother, but he could care less. "Lucas, if I have to drag my painful body into that room, so help me god!" Josh yells over to Lucas's door as he slowly makes his way to the door. He's holding his ribs and they hurt like hell, but he doesn't care. He wants Lucas to confide in him like he's always done. Nothing should be different now.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

No sound of movement.

Silence.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The knocks get louder.

BANG! BANG! B—The door swings open faster than Josh has seen anyone do it ever before. It made him pee himself a little, preparing for what comes next.

"WHAT!" Lucas yells. "STOP KNOCKING ON MY F*CKING DOOR!"

Josh knew this was bad. Lucas hardly ever curses. If he does, someone or something has really lit a fire under his ass and pissed him off.

"You can yell. Just let it all out." Josh tells him.

Lucas shakes his head. "You don't understand—"

"—HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT, LUCAS?!" Josh was upset. "How can you even say that with a straight face? I know what today is. I know what you're going through. I was the one always here when you needed to cry...or you just wanted to kick it and have a full day to not remember what happened but still end up doing so..." Josh's voice begins to crack. "DON'T. YOU. EVER. act like I don't understand what you've been through."

Lucas just stood there. Motionless. Not a single word said.

And then...

Lucas falls to his knees and begins sobbing. As if on cue, Josh drops down beside him the best he can with his injured ribs. "Come here." Josh says with tears of his own streaming down his face.

Every year for the pass nine years, this was the end result.

"You...Lucas, listen to me, you cannot blame yourself for what happened to your dad—"

"—YES, I CAN!" Lucas cries out. "He was doing research in South Africa. And...and, I remember finally getting in contact with him after like 4 months of thinking Is he alright? Is he gone? Is he sick?" Josh has listened to different variations of this story and every time he cries harder than before. "And I begged him to come back so that I could go back to my school in Texas with Zay and Billy, because I wasn't fitting in there in New York. I only had you, Riley, and Maya...but it didn't feel right. So, I gave him a call. Finally he answered. I begged him to come back. Mom told me to just let it go. That dad will be back and I'll get to see him again." Lucas looks over to his birthday card and picks it up. "This was the last thing I got from him. It's not fair! I want to die. I want to see him."

Josh tightens his arm around Lucas. "Stop saying that." He gets up and turns on the light before falling back into place. "Jerry wouldn't want you saying that. He's watching over you now. He's proud of you, Luke." He tells him then kisses the top of his head. He begins running his semi-free hand through Lucas's hair, a technique that helped to calm Lucas down. "I remember us. Us. Me and You. Your mom & dad got divorced when you were four. Your mom moved to New York and your dad stayed in Texas. You used to come to New York for the Summer's and go to school in Texas. I hated watching you leave at the end of Summer. I wanted you all to myself. I use to be so mad at your dad for taking you away from me." Josh sighs.

Lucas wipes his face. "This is the first time I'm hearing of this." He says.

Josh nods. "Yeah." Tears are still streaming down the sides of his face. "It's the truth though. You were the happiest little 5 year old I had ever met. It was strange. I remember asking myself _Didn't his parents get divorced?_ " This makes Lucas laugh and it puts a smile on Josh's face. "At the time, I thought divorces were the worst. But, I was wrong: Losing you was. And for the first time since I met my best friend, I was so scared of losing you when your dad died. It was the most scariest thing ever. Probably in my life. BUT...I couldn't let you know that. I had to be strong."

"You know, Josh, you didn't have to be strong for me—"

—YES I DID, LUCAS!" Josh exclaims. His tears are like waterfalls now, and this catches Lucas's attention. "You were my brother. Are my brother. And I don't care what happens back then to now to 20 or 50 years from now, you will always be my brother. I will ALWAYS feel that I need to be strong for you, because you need it. You went through a bunch of bologne when you were little. I was very fortunate not to have gone through it, but guess what...I did. I went through it through you. And, I'm glad I did." He finishes.

This time, Lucas has his arm wrapped around Josh. "You have always been there for me." Lucas whispers. "I am forever grateful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"I love you." Josh announces in the quiet and silent room.

"I love you too." Lucas responds back with no reluctance.

Josh laughs, "We say I Love You so much. If a rumor went around school about us dating, I would totally believe it."

Lucas laughs as well. "Well screw them. Just because you tell someone you love them doesn't mean you're all _kissy kissy—let's go make love_ with them. Although, I wouldn't totally be oppose to making out with you." He jokes.

Josh points to Lucas's bed. "You wanna go right now. I've heard gay sex is a really powerful thing now." He jokes back.

"Oh my god, Josh, what am I going to do with you?" Lucas says and shakes his head.

Josh laughs, "I have no idea. You're stuck with me forever and ever and ever and ever and ever..." Josh begins singing and starts leaning into Lucas's ear, trying to annoy him. Lucas swats at his face which causes Josh to nut shot Lucas. "NUT SHOT!"

"Oh my god!" Lucas moans. "And while I'm sitting down too."

Lucas begins to retaliate, but Josh throws his hands in front and shakes his head. "Nope. You were part of the reason I almost got killed today. I owe you 10 more of these." Josh says.

"I'm so sorry." Lucas says in a soft and caring tone.

"Don't worry about it. You and Billy may need to make up, though. I almost beat his ass during half time after you stormed off. And I would've done it after the game if I wasn't so f*cked up." Josh tells him, motioning boxing moves.

Lucas sighs. "Yeah. Same old Billy" He says, shaking his head. "Never fails."

"Speaking of Billy, he keeps hinting to something about Zay that you've never told me." Josh brings up. "And I believe him, because Zay stormed off very pissed off. VERY! Like...whatever happened must not be good."

Lucas sighs, "I promised Zay I wouldn't bring it up again. I gave him my word." He says.

Josh nods, "I can respect that. But, you gave me your word first!"

Lucas sighs once again. "Uh oh...Dangit, ok...you can't tell anybody." He tells Josh and Josh nods his head in agreement.

Lucas leans into Josh's ear.

"Why are you whispering? We're the only ones in our dorm." Josh chuckles.

Lucas shrugs. "Do you wanna know or not?" He says before leaning into his ear and letting it all out.

Josh's mouth drops open.

Brace yourselves for what comes next.

"ZAY WAS ONCE GAY?!"

* * *

 **A/N: I know! I know!**

 **It's been a long time since I updated. Don't worry, I wasn't going anywhere. This is a whole new unseen chapter. None of the "original" readers have read this one. It took me a while to re-create my direction a little, but I got it done. That...and I had about 5k+ words written and it somehow got lost. BUT, it's finally here and I'm so excited for you guys to continue reading.**

 **Josh and Lucas (JUCAS) will be the main duo of this story. No, that does not mean we won't get any Riley/Lucas or Maya/Josh. I haven't seen a story create this super compelling bromance between Josh/Lucas. And I plan on making that happen. I finally know what I'm gonna do with Farkle. You guys might get excited. Missy/Chris is another relationship I love writing, and we'll see that unfold. I have a lot of Maya/Josh coming up. Ooooh, and when Riley starts getting flirty with another guy, how does Lucas take it? What's gonna be the relationship from all the guys with Billy? Does Rachel know Zay's secret yet? Nope. How will that play out? Oh, and don't think I forgot about that Lucas/Riley kiss from last chapter. All coming in the next upcoming chapters.**

 **~Skylar_Stormai~**


	10. GUILT

**COMPLETELY NEW CHAPTER!**

 ***DO** **NOT OWN lyrics from _Love_ _Lies_ or the song in general**

* * *

 _Chapter_ _X_ **: GUILT**

 **"ZAY WAS ONCE GAY?!"**

Immediately, Lucas drops his face into the palms of his hands.

Did I seriously just spill Zay's Secret?!

"Dude!" Josh was besides himself. "That changes e—"

"—It changes nothing!" Lucas quickly intercepts. "See, this is exactly why I didn't tell you or Riley or Maya or anyone! Oh my god, what did I just do?!" Lucas feels truly awful. Someone depended on his trust, and he let them down. This was very unlike Lucas. Josh, maybe? Lucas? Hell no. "He just..." Lucas's voice begins to crack. "He went through so much crap when that got out. I got expelled, because I beat the living sh*t out of someone for that."

Josh watches as Lucas continues to pace the floor. He begins to mutter something to himself, in which Josh can't seem to hear. Soon, he was able to hear Lucas cursing himself out. This nervousness gets the best of Lucas, which somehow leads to Josh thinking about Lucas's past. He remembers Lucas getting expelled, but Lucas was suppose to go to another school the next year. It never happened, because his dad died the following Summer. Now, he has the missing part.

The story makes so much more sense now! Josh thought to himself.

When Lucas was little, he mostly lived with his father. When together, Jerry and Lucas were an inseparable duo. Sometimes, it would be without question that Lucas was Jerry's son due to how in sync they were. The Rodeo Town fair was always a highlight of their time together. Jerry's father was the one that introduced Lucas to bull riding. Lucas can remember it today with his grandpa saying "If you can't master riding a sheep, you can't master a bull." Unfortunately, Judy the Sheep would forever haunt the dreams of little Friar.

In the Summer, Lucas would visit his mother. His father was a Zoologist, which required a lot of traveling. Thankfully, Jerry was able to downsize his availability to the Summer months: Late May, June, July, and Early August. Unfortunately, that meant that Lucas always started school a week late, but Lucas didn't care much at all. He did, however, always miss his father. It would get so bad for his mother, Judy Greek-Friar. She never knew how to say or do the right things when it came to calming her little boy. He wanted his father, and he couldn't have him. How can you fix that, if the solution is on another continent?

One Summer.

Not so much luck.

" _This just in, a plane from the Saturn Airlines has reportedly gone missing. There were 120 passengers on board. We'll keep you—oh wait! I'm getting more news. The plane has just been found. At the moment, there are no survivors but that's just on eye only. Let's keep these people and their families in our prayers as we find out more on the latest piece of news."_

It's one moment that always replayed in Lucas's head every single hour of his father's birthday. To him, he killed his father by begging him to come home. No matter how many times he was told that it wasn't his fault, he chose to believe that he caused it.

No one has ever been able to get through that boy like Josh has, and even then there's only so much Josh can do.

"Lucas," Josh cut the silence. "I won't say anything." He says, but Lucas rolls his eyes. Josh loves gossip, and Lucas knows that. "I swear! On our brotherhood, I won't say a thing." He promises.

Lucas looks at him dead center in the eyes. "Not Riley. Not Maya. Not Chris. Not anybody. I'm dead serious!" Lucas says through his gritted teeth. He wasn't necessarily mad at Josh but at himself. He can't believe how gullible he was to give up such sacred information.

Josh throws his hands in the air. "I promise." He promises again. "I won't do it."

Lucas sighs. "Thanks." He has no choice but to believe him. All he can do is hope that his friendship of over ten years means something.

"But…" Josh says, which makes Lucas's heart drop. "You do owe me."

Lucas's breath hitched. "Owe you, what?" He asks. "Josh, I don't owe you anyth—ARGH!" Lucas's hands cover his crotch as he moaned in pain.

Josh laughs as Lucas doubles over in pain. "Hey, I'm sorry bro, but you deserved that after the tackle I took because you didn't guard me." He explains.

Lucas slowly rises. "I'm sorry." He manages to croak out before he continues to whine and moan in pain.

Josh shrugs, "I was only joking." He claims. Josh then takes out his phone. "3:40?!" He exclaims. "What the hell were you doing out this late?" Josh doesn't care if he sounds like a mom right about now. All he wants is to make sure his 'bro' didn't do anything stupid on his unforeseen night out.

Lucas scratches the back of his neck. "Wellllll…nothing, really. I just needed to walk around and cool my head. Everything was hitting me all at once it seemed, so I really needed to take some time for myself." Lucas explains.

Josh eyes Lucas intently, trying to figure out if he's lying or not. Grudgingly, Josh shrugs. "Fine," He says and lets it go. "But you're tucking me in bed."

Lucas's mouth drops down in shock. "Wha–Why?!" He proclaims and throws his hands in the air. Josh then points to his ribs aka stomach and smiles. Lucas rolls his eyes. "Ugh…Fine!" He groans.

"You gotta tuck me in with Chester!" Josh says excitedly, speaking about his little cute purple bunny he's had since he was only 4 years old.

Lucas wraps Josh's arm around his shoulders. "That bunny…gosh! Still sleeping with that thing?" Lucas can't help but laugh.

Josh glares at Lucas. "That girly shampoo…oh damn! Still using that ' _I_ _got_ _sensitive_ _hair_ ' excuse crap?" He fires back.

Lucas lets out a nervous laugh. "Ha ha…ok, good point."

 **{*****}**

 _Don't be afraid to tell me if you ain't with it. I see you focused, yeah you're so indepen—_ **TAP**!

Rachel lets out a loud and tired moan.

She had been awake all last night, running late errands and doing most of the cheerleader captain's work. She was thankful to have Missy being by her side though. The cheerleading captains are both very lazy, so they throw all of their work on to the aspiring sophomore come ups they value the most.

Unfortunately, it's Rachel and Missy.

However, FORTUNATELY, it's Rachel and Missy.

See, Rachel and Missy look at this as an opportunity. They know that they're better on the captains' good side, seeing as when they leave next year they are recommended to the coach. Of course, there are plenty of next year Seniors (aka current Juniors) that will heavily pissed at the girls getting the opportunity, but it's fair game in Rachel's and Missy's eyes.

Rachel peeps one eye open before closing it and running a hand through her face. It's still dark out, in which the beautiful girl was not surprised about. She's used to awakening at this time of day.

Plus, how else are the morning errands going to get done?

She turns her face to the right and lifts her phone to see the time.

"6:16" She rolls her eyes. "Great." She says sarcastically.

She moves to sit up, but something was counterattacking her attempt to do so. Rachel looks down to see an arm. "Oh no…" She whispers to herself before she clamps both of her hands and brings them up to her face. "What have I done?" She whispers inside of them.

That arm belongs to one person, and that person was: Isaiah Babineax.

Instantly, she begins shaking Zay awake. "Zay…wake up." She whispers, not trying to be too loud because she knows Missy is in the other room. If Missy finds out, she'll never let Rachel live this down. "Zay…" Rachel whispers again as she begins putting more pressure in her arms and hands. "Baby…"

"Huh?" Zay groans.

"Come on, let me out the bed." Rachel tells him. "Move your arm."

It goes quiet.

Rachel rolls her eyes. She never knows why she always invites this boy over, when she already knows it'll be hard to get him to wake up. "Zay…" She whispers again.

No answer.

"Baby…"

Zay groans again, "No. Stop. Don't leave."

Rachel chuckles at how cute he was acting. Even though it was a tussle trying to get out of his grasp, Zay always made waking up feel childlike to her. And honestly, she couldn't help but love him more for it.

Rachel sighs, "You know I got too."

"Pleeeeeeease!" Zay whines, tightening his grip around his girl.

"Zaaaaaaaaay!" She whines back. "I'm sorry, but you know Dakota and Lindsey are gonna be on my ass if I don't get the extra junior tryout papers done. And thank god Missy has got control over the junior attires and such, because that would've been pretty bad if she never got that done last night." She rambles.

Zay finally opens his eyes, sleepily of course. "You're cute when you go on and on and on and on and on…" Zay continues on with a playful smile. "...and on and on and on and o—" He's stopped by Rachel's pillow clobbering his face.

"—and on and on and on…" Rachel playfully mimicked him.

In one quick motion, he slides on top of her making her giggle.

He laughs, "What was that?" He asks, referring to her little cute giggle.

She leans up and kisses his lips. "Mmm…" She moans. "Good Morning."

When she pulls away, he follows and connects his lips with hers bringing them into another kiss. "Good Morning to you too." He says.

She sighs. "Did we do anything…sexy, last night?" She asks. "In all seriousness…"

Zay pouts and shakes his head. "No. You were too tired." He tells her. "You do remember how I got in your bed, right?" He asks.

She shakes her head. "No," she laughs.

"Well, you texted me something crazy like ' _I_ _want_ _some_ _mocha'_ …so you know where my mind went." He explains, and Rachel groans then buries her face under her pillow. "Relax. It was fine." He reassures her. "We never did anything, because you opened the door looking like one of those walkers from Walking Dead." This earns another groan from Rachel. "You were cute tho." He quickly recovers.

Rachel throws the pillow to the side. "Okay, it's time for me to go." She announces and moves to get out of bed, but Zay was straddling her so she failed miserably. "Forreal Zay!" She whines.

He chuckles then places a kiss on her forehead. "Alright, I'm going back to sleep." He announces before snuggling back into his pillow.

Rachel shakes her head. "Not in my bed, you're not."

"Baaaaabbbbby!" Zay whines.

"Isssssaaaaiaaaaaaah!" She whines his full name. "Seriously tho, get up and get out!" She playfully screams before pushing Zay little by little until he falls off the bed.

"Ouch!" Zay moans in pain. "You could've at least let my morning wood calm down. Jesus!"

Rachel smirks once Zay stands up. "Nah. I'm glad I pushed you out." She says admiring his thumper from her bed. He quickly rushes to cover it, which makes her laugh. "Calm down. I've felt it before." She teases, and this makes Zay grab a pillow to hide it instead. "You're a hard sleeper. It looks pretty through from inside your shorts."

"OhMyGod, Rachel!" He groans. "You're finessing me in my sleep…WITHOUT ME KNOWING!"

Rachel jumps up. "Shhh!" She puts a finger over her lips and shushes him. "I can't have Missy knowing you're in here. She'll never let me live this down."

Zay shrugs. It was quite funny with him shrugging, seeing as his hands were too busy holding the pillow to cover his peen. "Chris is in her room EVERY NIGHT—"

"—ZAY!" Rachel whisper–yells. She runs over to where he stood and begins swatting at his arms.

Zay winces. "Sorry. But, Chris is in there every night." He argues. "Not trying to call her anything, but she can't say nothing about what we're doing…which is just sleeping and kisses occasionally, when we don't know what's going on in there."

Rachel smiles then pecks Zay on the lips. "Let me go shower. You can sleep in my bed—" Rachel was interrupted by Zay celebrating, "—until I get out."

Zay has a big smile on his face. "Thank you." He thanks her before pecking her lips. "Have a nice shower. I'm taking my ass to bed." He flies into the bed and wraps himself underneath the sheets.

Rachel stands there, pretty shocked at what just happened. "Um…Zay? Are you okay?" She asks in all seriousness.

Zay peeps his head from under the sheets. "Yeah, why?" He asks in response.

"Well, you're usually begging to join me in the shower." She explains with her arms folded. "But you didn't this time."

Zay scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Why? So I can get turned down again. Yeah, right." He tells her. "You're never going to let me, so I just stopped asking. Go enjoy your shower, babe."

Rachel smiles at the word 'Babe'.

"I love that we're at that stage." Rachel says as she moves to get clothes from her drawer. "The babe and baby stage of our relationship."

Zay snickers. "Yeah. Next we'll be at the 'I Love You' stage."

Rachel tenses up. "Um…yeah…not right now, buddy." She quickly responds. She grabs all of her stuff before quickly leaving the room in case Zay wanted to ask a follow up question to that.

"Oh hey, Rachel…" Rachel was stopped in her tracks after hearing Chris's voice. She's outside her room's door about to head to the bathroom.

"Heeey, Chris…" She slowly backs up to her door. "What'chu doing?"

Chris's eyebrows tilt downwards. "Um…nothing. I'm about to go for an early run." That's when Rachel realizes that Chris is indeed wearing athletic gear, and that he does run every morning. She remembers, because he got Missy to get her to run. "Um…" Chris eyes Rachel carefully. "Are you okay?" He asks.

Rachel feigns a smile. "Y-y-Yeah. I mean, why wouldn't I be? I mean, other than me being tired, I'm actually quite okay." She rambles on. "You see, Missy and I were up all night doing errands for Dakota and Lindsey so…it was a little gruesome, I guess. But I'm totally fine this morning. Like totally totally fine."

Chris chuckles, "Um…okay. I guess."

Rachel laughs, "Alright. Go have a good run."

Chris nods, "Yeah. I will." He tells her. "Good luck with the shower."

"W-what? How did you know that I was taking a shower?" She quickly asks. "Were you eavesdropping on me in my room? Oh my gosh…you were—"

"—um…no, I just see the clothes and towel in your hands." Chris laughs, and Rachel lets out a nervous one. One that Chris takes a little notice to which prompts his eyebrow to rise in confusion. "Um…" He laughs. "Wow. Are you hiding someone in your room?" It all makes sense in his head. She was guarding the door.

Rachel nervously laughs. "Huh? No, I—"

"—Zay is in there, right?" Chris laughs. "OhMyGod, you nasty little devil."

Rachel rolls her eyes. "You better not tell Missy, or I'm telling her that I know about your FwB." She threatens.

Chris scoffs, "My FwB?"

Rachel nods, "Yeah dumbass. Your Friends with Benefits sha-bang!"

Chris sighs, "You said you weren't gonna tell her that."

"And I won't, but you better keep this quiet." Rachel tells him. "Capisce!"

Chris lifts his hands in the air. "Fine. I won't tell." He promises then laughs. "I wasn't going to anyway. Plus, Missy wouldn't mind."

"W—" Rachel was about to respond, but a certain someone decided to make an appearance.

"—Wouldn't mind what?" Missy asks, also in her running gear.

Rachel laughs, "Um…nothing. It's nothing, right Chris?"

Chris nods. "Yeah, it was nothing. Ready for our run?" He asks Missy, changing the subject.

Missy looks between the two in confusion. "Um…yeah, sure…"

 **{*****}**

Today was a very cold day.

In Colorado, the temperature was pretty sporadic in terms of being hot one week then cold the next. Unfortunately for the people currently living in the Flakesville, it was time for jackets again.

{" _Today's temperatures has dropped to the upper 40's and are expected to be even lower in the coming days. At night, we're expecting as low as 20 degrees. So to all you parents and working adults out there, bundle up. This week, it's gonna be pretty cold out there."}_

 _"_ I honestly hate this town so freaking much! This morning, I went on a run with Chris and I thought I wasn't gonna be able to sit down today. It's pretty chilly out there." Missy moans as she watched the monitor plastered in the middle of the campus's cafeteria. Chris connects with her eyes and makes a pouty face before wrapping his left arm around her and pulling her closer to him.

Maya sighs, "Yeah. Tell me about it."

"Tell me about {that}." Rachel says then points behind Maya.

Maya turns around to see Riley talking to some boy. "Huh?" She was genuinely confused. Not too long ago…Two Days ago to be exact, she was worried sick about Lucas and his condition. No one would ever be so worried about someone to the point where they only got two hours of sleep to not like that person.

"Wait…" Missy starts getting excited. "Is that Charlie Gardner?"

Maya's hand flew to her mouth; at the same time, Rachel's mouth dropped open. No one seen this coming.

Chris laughs, "Really guys?" He shakes his head in amusement. "Let the poor kid shoot his shot. God knows I would if I was interested in somebody." He says then looks down at Missy and winks. "Plus," His eyes go back on the group. He shrugs, "What if he's just asking a question? Or what if Riley is just asking a question? Can't a guy and a girl talk without people pushing an agenda?"

Missy rolls her eyes and points to Chris. "This guy." She laughs, which makes the other girls laugh as well.

Chris looks down at Missy with a knowing look that always made her heart warm. For Missy, she couldn't understand what about Chris was so attractive…other than his hair, face, and body. Usually, guys like Chris—sweet, loving, generous, and patient—never paid Missy any attention. Missy always thought it meant that she should stick with the loud and brooding types. Maybe a loving guy wasn't in the cards for her. Or so she thought.

Maya scrunches her eyes together as she watched the two Secret FOB's. "Something going on between you two?" It was presented as a question.

"No." Both answer quickly.

Hmmm, Maya thinks to herself. That's weird. Yeah, I'm gonna look into that later.

"Hey guys." Riley greets everyone as she takes her seat. She reaches down in her purse to grab her phone. Out of her peripheral vision, she can see the group staring at her as if she had something valuable to give. However, what she didn't know was that they didn't want her giving…they wanted her sharing. "Okay…What's up?" Riley asks as she looks back and forth between everybody.

"Well...we seen you…over there with…" Rachel tries to contain her excitement. "…Charlie Gardner! Girl, what is going on?! Are you—"

"—Woah! Woah! Woah!" Riley exclaims, holding her hand up in the process. "First of all, I am not dating Charlie Gardner. Ew." Riley makes a gagging sound which makes everyone around her roll their eyes. "Secondly, we just take College Ensembles class together, and I really need help on the bottom half of the second sheet."

"So?" Missy asks, wanting more.

Riley rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. "We're meeting up later today—" She was interrupted by squeals and gasps. "—for practice. Um…you guys are creeping me out."

Somebody would've thought someone had gotten engaged with the way the group was celebrating.

"Well…" Maya chimes in. "He's cute." She says and puts a soft comforting hand on her best friend's shoulders. "And, you deserve it. You're a pretty woman, and pretty women…likes when the handsome men…do pretty things." Maya struggles getting that out without laughing.

Riley blushes.

The whole group laughs.

One taught me love. One taught me patience. And, One taught me pa—TAP!

"Hello," Missy answers into her phone. The others begin talking about the community service they were just told about that's happening soon.

"Oh Hi, Missy…" That voice belongs to none other than Lindsey, the co-cheer captain. "Is Rachel with you? We need the two of you at Dakota's dorm ASAP." Her voice makes the situation sound urgent.

Well, that can't be good.

Missy locks eye contact with Rachel then nods. "We're on our way." She quickly says then ends the call. "Come on, we got to go." She tells Rachel before squeezing Chris a little tighter then jumping out of her seat.

"Be safe!" Chris calls after them.

Missy turns around and winks at him before both she and Rachel are out of sight.

"…and sometimes older people don't like being anywhere next to millennials, so I wonder how we're gonna do once we're put into those rooms." Maya is currently talking about the community service trip the athletes have to do in a month or so. They have to go to a retirement home and assist the elderly. "Some our co-cheerleaders act like snobby rich kids."

Chris nods his head in agreement. "Yeah. I hope they act mature for once in their life. This is the athletic department they're representing. If we piss the university off, they won't even bat an eye our way when we're in deep crap." He states.

"OMG, there's Lucas!" Riley gasps as her eyes make contact with the brunette edging closer and closer to them. She quickly turns to both Maya and Chris. "Don't mention Charlie, Okay?"

Maya scrunches her eyebrows. "Wait. What? I thought you said the whole Charlie thing was nothing." Maya was genuinely confused.

Riley rolls her eyes. "It IS nothing, but that's where I would like to keep it." She claims.

Chris turns around just in time for Lucas to throw up his hand in a waving motion. Chris smiles and waves back. Noticing that he was approaching rather quickly, Chris turns to Riley. "If it isn't nothing like you said, then why are you—WAIT!" Chris exclaims, mouth dropping in the process. "Are you and Lucas secretly dating each other?" He implies.

Maya gasps. "What? Really?!" She exclaims and puts her hand on her chest. "I'm hurt. I thought I was your best friend. We tell each other everything...and I mean EVERYTHING!"

Riley groans. "Oh my gosh, no, I'm not secretly dating Lucas." She says.

"So, you two are secretly boning each other then?" Chris asks.

Riley's cheeks turn red as she quickly shakes her head. "NO! We're not doing anything. I just don't know how he feels, especially after he kissed me for the coach last time. And, I don't want to make it any more awkward around us."

"Awkward around who?" Lucas startles the other three.

"Damn, you got here fast." Maya says with her hand still on her chest as she check to see how fast her heart was beating.

Riley nervously laughs. "Oh nothing...just some boring old loser in my Ensembles class."

Maya nudges Riley in her side with a lot of force.

Riley softly cries out in pain before throwing her hands in the air, obviously confused by Maya's unanticipated elbow.

"Too much..." Maya whispers, as if Lucas wasn't sitting there staring directly at their faces.

"Too much of what?" Of course he asks this question. He does have eyes, which the two girls somehow forgot. Riley and Maya both share uneasy faces. Lucas could also see Riley fidgeting. _What_ _are_ _you_ _hiding_? He thought to himself.

Chris softly slaps the shoulders of the confused Texan. "You know what? How abooooouuuuuut…" Chris stretches the word in order to think of something. "Oh! You know Jennifer and her girls asked me about you—"

"I already broke up with her. I told you that already." Lucas grits through his teeth. He glances in Riley's direction before quickly looking elsewhere. He sighs, "…And I told you to never bring that up around Riley." He whispers for only Chris to hear.

Chris flashes a half-smile. "Sorry, man."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Maya scrunches her face. "Who is laughing so loud like that?" She asks.

Riley turns her head around to see the one and only Zay, laughing with some of his friends. "Oh…that explains it." She laughs.

Lucas's eyes go wide.

If there was any time that Lucas wished he could turn invisible, it was now.

"Um…I gotta…um—" As if he naturally gained the power of speed, Lucas quickly takes off with no finish to his sentence, which left the other three looking at each other in confusion.

"Alright, I'll meet with you guys later." Zay tells the other two guys before giving both a pound hug. "Hey guys," Zay quickly turns his attention to the three sitting. "Have you seen Rachel? In our last text, she told me that she was sitting here with you two and Missy." He tells them, pointing at both Maya and Chris.

Chris shrugs. "I don't know. I think Dakota or Lindsey called them to do their dirty work again." Chris couldn't help but to roll his eyes after saying that.

"I'll give Dakota & Lindsey some dirty work, alright…" Zay was visibly bothered by the time the head cheerleaders took from Rachel & Missy. Personally, he wanted as much time with Rachel as possible. Is it selfish? Maybe, but to Zay…he never gets quality time with his girl, because they were always taking it away from him.

"What's up guys!"

"JOSH!" Maya instantly stands and move towards Josh. "You're suppose to be at home…healing!" She wasn't scolding him just because; he was suppose to be resting as the doctors instructed.

Josh rolls his eyes. "I'm fi—oooh, you touched a tender spot." He winces, which in return let's Maya know that he was indeed NOT fine.

"Dude, maybe you should go back to the dorm." Chris pipes.

Josh laughs. "I'm fine."

"JOOOOSH!" Riley gives his brother a stern look.

Josh sighs. "Okay. Ugh, I hate being stuck in that apartment-dorm all day. It's depressing." He admits.

"You need to get better." Zay tells him. "And whatever the doctor says is what goes."

Josh was about to rebut Zay's statement, but Maya wasn't having it.

"No." Maya stops Josh from speaking. She knew she had him when he let out a frustrating sigh but decided to listen anyway. "Listen to Zay…and go rest." She sternly tells him. "If I don't see you lying down when I come check on you today, someone is gonna get their ass handed to them." She threatens.

"Since when were you paying me a visit?" Of course, that's what Josh took out of that. Maya thought to herself.

Maya put her hand on Josh's tender spot, located on the side of his stomach. "Since now…" She says as he winced in pain. "And if you're not there, I'm either coming for your stubborn ass or Huckleberry."

Josh always knew that he should never take Maya's words for granted.

"Fine." Josh grits through his teeth. "Where's Lucas?" He didn't want to go home, but having Lucas there would make his time less boring.

Chris points behind him to the exit doors. "I think he ran to the bathroom." He says.

"Why?" Both Zay And Josh asks simultaneously.

Chris shrugs. "I have no clue." He says.

 **{*****}**

Lucas closes the bathroom's stall door. "I'm so stupid." He whispers to himself as he repeatedly smacks his forehead. With one hand staying put on his forehead, he closes his eyes and begins breathing exercises. "Inhale..." He slowly inhales the air before letting it out. "Exhale." He whispers once it's all gone.

He shakes his head. "I can't do this." He says before punching stall's wall.

Loyalty was always a word Lucas never took for granted.

However, after spilling the beans, he feels as if he's the worst person in the whole world.

Zay was his best friend, but unfortunately in Zay's case Josh was closer. Josh was Lucas's brother, and it's common for brothers to talk about things, right? Lucas never thought he'd do something like that. He didn't think he was that person. Hell, his friends don't believe he's that type of person. So, what in the hell was he thinking when he did that?

Suddenly, the swinging of the door can be heard as a pair of feet comes rushing in.

"Lucas?" That voice was all too familiar. "Lucas? It's Josh. Chris said you ran in here."

Lucas didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, especially Josh. Hell, who knows whatever else he'd spill to that boy. Lucas slowly steps on top of the toilet seat and slightly crouches down so that his height wouldn't be visible.

"Lucas!" Josh calls out once more before you can hear Josh throw his bag to the floor. "Argh–Ugh…" Lucas can hear Josh grunting as he began looking under the stalls' doors.

Lucas couldn't stand there any longer. He hasn't gotten over feeling like crap for playing a part in Josh getting injured, so there's no way in hell he was gonna have Josh blow his back out. "I'm in here. Get off the floor, dumbass." Lucas announces as he steps off the toilet seat and walks out of the stall.

There, on the nasty bathroom floor, was Joshua Matthews.

Lucas makes a face.

Josh rolls his eyes. "Shut up." He tells him before reaching his hand upwards for Lucas to grab. "Help me up." He says, and Lucas does with no hesitation. "Now," He begins dusting off his pants. "What in the hell happened?" He asks.

Lucas shakes his head. "N–nothing." He stammers.

Josh folds his arms across his chest. "I wasn't born yesterday, Lucas."

"I'm glad you can state the obvious, Josh." Lucas sarcastically responds. He shakes his head. "I'm just–I'm feeling really f*cking guilty over telling you, man. I can't believe I—"

"—Lucas, I'm not going to say anything." Josh cuts him off. "I already told you this. Put your innocent face on and act normal."

Lucas felt a little aggravated by Josh's response. It was absolutely something Josh would say, but it still pissed him off. "You're f*cking pathetic." Lucas voices.

"Lucas, Chill!" Josh tells him. However, Lucas wasn't trying to hear it. He begins walking towards the door, but Josh uses all of his strength (which wasn't enough) to push Lucas back. "Please! Chill!" He says again.

Lucas's face turns red. "I don't want to chill! I don't want to f*cking chill!" His voice was getting louder with each word spewing from his mouth. "Don't tell me what to do, Josh. I kept his secret the whole entire time and then what do I do? Oh right, I go and tell you...which is so stupid and pathetic of me, because why would I tell—UGHHHH!"

Josh reaches out to put a soft hand on Lucas's shoulder, but Lucas steps back. Josh sighs, "Okay, I'm sick of your sh*t!" Josh has had enough.

"Oh really!" Lucas acts surprised. "You're sick of my crap. MY CRAP! Josh, I've been dealing with yours for god knows how long."

"You know what?" Josh shrugs and takes off his cap followed by his shirt. "If you're so sick of my crap, take a swing. Beat the living sh*t out of me, Lucas. It'll just add to the already nagging injuries YOU HELPED make." He tells him.

Lucas shakes his head. "I'm not going to hit you." Lucas says softly, almost as soft as a whisper.

Josh walks up to Lucas before shoving him backwards. "Go ahead!" He challenges as he pushes him back again. "Hit me, Lucas! You're sick of my sh*t! Go ahead!" Josh tells him.

Lucas shakes his head and stares at Josh dead in the eyes. "Listen, Josh, I'm not going to hit—"

He was cut off by Josh mugging his face.

Lucas habitually lifts Josh from the ground and holds him in one place. For a moment there, he almost spinebustered him straight onto the ground.

"Josh…" Lucas says softly. He inhales then exhales. "I could seriously hurt you. I don't want to do anymore damage than I've already done. Please…I'm sorry." It was as if he was talking to Josh's stomach, but Josh could hear him loud and clear.

Josh runs a hand through his hair and lets out a sigh. "And to think, you tried to get me to stay at the dorm like I was instructed to do." A smile appears on his lips as he finished saying that. "Alright, you can put me down now." He says ruffling Lucas's hair. After being told, Lucas slowly levels Josh. "I'm sorry for pushing your buttons." Josh quickly apologizes.

"It was my fault." Lucas says, taking responsibility. "You need to get home. You shouldn't be really moving, period."

Josh shakes his head and finally puts a hand on Lucas's shoulder. "Don't tell me what to do." He says, mimicking Lucas's own words.

Lucas laughs. "Asshole."

"Seriously tho, we need to go do some counseling. Because, I'm scared one of these days we're actually going to fight and something's gonna happen." Josh states.

Lucas chuckles and nods. "Agreed."

"And listen," Josh begins. "I know it's eating you up about Zay." He sighs. "I get that. But, you know me and you know that I will never say anything. I mean, have I told anyone about walking in on you... _polishing_ _your_ _sword_?" The struggle on Josh's lips gave Lucas all the info that Josh was on the verge of laughing in his face after being shamed of this since the beginning of time.

"W–What? Josh, Stop it!" Lucas quickly reacts.

Josh couldn't hold his laughter anymore.

He bursts out into a fit of laughter.

"Relax!" Josh was able to get that word out in his parade of laughter. "No one's in here. And no one's gonna know about your little experiment just like no one's gonna know about you telling me about Zay being gay." Josh confirms, easing all of Lucas's worries.

He could actually see the weight being lifted off Lucas's shoulders.

Lucas nods his head and flashes a little smile. "Thanks." He manages to breathe out.

"No problem." Josh pulls Lucas in for a hug. It was almost everyday that these two hugged. It sometimes surprised the two when people reacted weirdly about it; a stranger would come up to them and tell them how cute of a couple they were. Josh would laugh while Lucas blushed mighty hard. For some odd reason, people can't seem to grasp at the fact that two boys or men can be super close. "Plus," Josh says once they pull away. "I think it's awesome. I don't think he should hide that from us. I always felt kind of disconnected from Zay, and maybe that was why. Maybe hearing that was what I needed to realize that Zay is the way he is, ya know." He explains then shrugs it off.

Lucas just smiles big like an idiot.

Josh crouches down to pick up his bag, but Lucas stops him then grabs it for him.

"Here." He says, helping Josh put his bag on his back. "You know, you shouldn't be wearing a backpack—"

"—Okay Mom!" Josh says, rolling his eyes and smiling. Lucas lightly punches him in his shoulder. "And besides, it's my stomach...ribs to be exact. My back is fine."

"If you bring the sword thing up again, it won't be just the ribs." Lucas playfully threatens.

Josh smirks. "Is that a threat, Huckleberry?"

Lucas groans. "I hate that f*cking name! You know I hate that name."

"That's why I love Maya." Josh quickly responds before playfully smacking the side of Lucas's face. "Come on. Let's go and eat."

Lucas shakes his head. "No, lets get you home and sitting down. Don't need your back giving out." He laughs.

"I just told you it's not my back, it's my—"

"It's gonna be your back once I'm done kicking your ass." Lucas quickly responds.

Josh chuckles. "That's fine. I'll just give Maya a call to come annoy your ass with those oh so horrible nicknames."

* * *

 **A/N: OMG! I'M SUPER SORRY FOR THE 8–MONTH WAIT!**

 **Work took majority of my time, but I'm here. Um…I'm planning on releasing a Christmas one-shot based on Lucas, Maya, Josh, and Riley from this story VERY soon. I'm aiming somewhere in between Christmas and New Years. And don't worry, I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY! How did you like Zaychel morning? Had to give them more.**

 **More Joshaya in next chapter. Also, Charlie might not be just a "friend in Ensembles class". Hmmm...Love You Guys!**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **STORMAI**

* * *

Check Out **BEFORE THE LINES** (Christmas One Shot) NOW!


	11. Invasion of Privacy

**Guest** chapter 10: _Please give us more Rucas and Joshaya. They are always a highlight of each chapter._

 **I'm** **granting** **your** **wish** , **ENJOY ;) •STORMAI**

 ***ALSO, the story has changed from present tense to past tense. Thanks you!**

* * *

CHECK OUT: **Before** **The** **Lines!**

* * *

 _Chapter_ XI: **Invasion** **of** **Privacy**

Maya felt warm when she woke up.

The heat emanating from her bed partner was both comforting and unsettling. _How do people sleep like this?_ Maya thought to herself. She could feel his legs intertwined with hers, and the little chest hairs she felt tickling her back as his bare chest pressed against her back. The rhythmic pattern of his breathing as his chest rose up and down, she didn't know how to feel. The warmth of his breath sending chills down her spine with every hitch.

It felt…perfect.

 _Wait, am I naked?_ Maya inwardly asked herself. She opened the sheets and looked inside. She grimaced a little as she realized that she wasn't completely naked but she wore nothing but her bra and panties.

"Mmmmm…" Her bed partner groaned and pulled the sheets closer to themselves. Unfortunately in that process, they completely covered Maya's head.

 _Who in the f*ck?_ Maya exclaimed to herself inside her head. She would be so disappointed in herself if she somehow crawled in some random guy's bed and did something regretful. _Would it be so bad?_ She inwardly asked herself. Maya was indeed a virgin, but was that still the case?

 _Leave before he wakes up_ , she thought to herself. Her mind was screaming at her to move, but her body was comforted by the heat of this guy's body. _Maya, you're better than this,_ she thought to herself. She knew that, but this guy's body felt so good. There was no way she was moving.

His body shifted again, and Maya could faintly feel _The Eiffel Tower_ from within fabric. That told Maya that the guy was at least wearing underwear.

Suddenly, Maya could feel something fluffy gracing her skin at the bottom of her leg. She looked down to see…"A purple bunny…" She whispered to herself in confusion, but soon her eyes went wide in realization. "Oh no…" She said, her breath hitching as she slowly turned her body around to the face her Heater.

…And there he was, Joshua Gabriel Matthews.

 **{*} ABOUT 12 HOURS EARLIER {*}**

"WHOO!" "YEAH!" "AHHH!"

This was the sound of the crowd as Number 29, also known as Billy Ross, scored the winning touchdown. Billy scoring a touchdown rarely happened, seeing that he and Lucas usually swapped between being the Kicker. However, with Josh on the shelf for a while and Lucas being suspended for 2 months, it caused the coach to reshuffle his players.

Billy threw the football to the ground and did a celebratory dance. One side of the bleachers were roaring, while the other side stayed quiet with frowns on their face as they attempted to boo their team's opponent aka The Snowbears. However, the crowd for Flakesville was so much louder that you couldn't hear even the nearest sound of boos come from the angry crowd.

Their opponents, Shelby Pirates, seemed disappointed as they look at the scoreboard. Some of them kicked the grass, others had their hands on the hips while shaking their heads, and others just rubbed the top of their teammates' helmet giving them some encouragement.

"That was a great game." Riley leaned over to tell Rachel, who wore the biggest smile on her face as Riley along with their fellow cheerleaders watched the guys celebrate in the middle of the field.

Missy clapped her hands excitedly. "A great game capping off the beginning of a much needed break." Missy said dreamingly.

Maya nodded, "Yeah. Fall Break is…awesome." She said sarcastically then rolled her eyes.

"OMG, I am so sorry, Maya." Missy apologized before pulling Maya into a hug.

There wasn't a major problem with Maya getting home to visit her family. Her father graduated to becoming one of the most known article writers and editors on the whole East Coast, and her mother was now a chief executive in the company Star*Go. The only thing that kept Maya from visiting home was herself. She made it very clear to her parents that she didn't want to rely on their money, so if that meant missing a whole week of seeing them then so be it…

Maya shook her head. "No," She reassured her friend. "It's fine."

"You sure don't seem fine, girl." Rachel told Maya. "Listen, are you sure you don't want me to pay—" Rachel was interrupted by a loud groan from Maya. "—FOR—" Rachel raised her voice a little to finish her sentence. "—you to fly out to New York to see your family? You don't have to pay me back. I know you don't want to rely on your parents' money, but I'm not your parent. I'm your friend…one of your best friends. Let me do this for you, girl." Rachel pleaded to be of some use to her friend.

…But knowing Maya, Rachel knew what was coming next.

"No, it's fine." Maya reassured with a smile. "Seriously, I'm okay."

Riley wrapped one of her arms around Maya and gave her best friend a soft smile.

"YOOOOOOO!"

Suddenly, two eager football players approached the foursome group of girls. Sweaty as expected, but Chris and Zay never looked happier. Their big smiles made you want to be excited for them, and their excitement in their jumping was adorable child-like.

Missy laughed, "You two are acting as if you won the championship."

"Hell yeah! Missy, we're so close to going to the finals. Ugh! I can taste is on my fingers." Zay exclaimed as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Chris laughed then patted Zay on the shoulder. "Man, we're so close." He told his teammate. When Chris was first approached by the football coach to transfer over to the football team, he was skeptical. The coach was in need of a running back; one that never got too tired to finish the 2nd Quarter. Basketball was always his home. Hell, that was the only reason why he got accepted to Flakesville University. After some tossing and turning late one night, he had finally made his decision to give the hard-hitting sport a trial run. Looking at it now, Chris couldn't be happier with the decision he made.

He was on Cloud Nine.

"Alright, you two…" Missy spoke. "Calm down. This was only our Homecoming Game not the last Playoffs game."

Rachel looked around in confusion. "Speaking of," She piped up from beside Missy. "Where's Lucas Josh? I didn't think they would miss the Homecoming game. I mean, like…come on." Rachel said, focusing most of her attention on both Riley and Maya.

Riley shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know where they're at. I thought they'd be here too." Riley explained.

"Yeah," Maya added. "Last time we talked, they were getting dressed to come. Hopefully, nothing seriously horrible happened to them."

Maya and Riley were both laying it on thick. They knew that the boys weren't coming to the Homecoming game. They were still butthurt over not being able to play. Josh had an injury that prevented him from even stepping foot inside the locker room, and Lucas was suspended from the whole Billy fight fiasco with only a month or so to go. Both of the girls tried their hardest to get both of the guys to at least come watch the game, but they were being too stubborn. Puppy dog eyes work wonders, but it certainly couldn't convince the boys to come be supportive of their team.

But, the girls weren't going to tell these guys that.

"Alright, I have to go or I'm going to be late for my flight." Rachel announced to the group before wrapping an arm around Zay's waist. "I'll see you guys in a week." She blew kisses to all of them and waved. "Love y'all."

Everybody waved back and all simultaneously said, "Bye."

"Be safe!" Missy called out to her friend as Rachel and Zay were a pretty good distance now. "And have fun in Texas!" Rachel's family were now living in Texas. Since she went to Colorado, her parents didn't think anything was left for them in New York so they moved to Texas to be sort of closer to Rachel and closer to family in general.

Chris swung his arm around Missy's shoulder as she held on to his hand over her chest. "You have a flight to get to as well." Chris reminded Missy.

"Yes, I most certainly do." Missy said, looking into his blue eyes.

Riley cleared her throat, causing Chris and Missy to jump out of their little moment. "Well, have a safe flight Missy." Riley says then pulls her into a hug. Maya does the same.

"Yeah, let's get you back to your dorm-apartment so you can pack. Cause I have to pack for my trip to Florida." Chris said, gently pulling Missy in his direction to leave.

Missy waved to Maya and Riley. "Bye guys. And again, Maya, I'm sorry." She said before she and Chris walk away.

Maya sighed, "…and then there were two."

 **{*} 1 AND A HALF HOUR LATER {*}**

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Silence.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Silence, once again.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open and out came a flustered Lucas in nothing but a towel.

"Oh my gosh, Josh…" Lucas groaned and rolled his eyes. "You can sleep through an earthquake." He exclaimed as he passed by the sleeping Matthews on the couch to unlock the door.

"LUCAS! Oh my gosh!" Riley exclaimed before she shielded her eyes with her free hand. In her other hand was two pillows.

Lucas had already quickly tightened the towel around his lower half. Still, it couldn't hide the fact that he was blushing mighty hard right about now.

And Maya noticed it..."You're as red as a tomato, Huckleberry."

Lucas let out an annoyed sigh. "What are you two doing here?" He asked then noticed that they were carrying pillows and sleeping bags. "…annnnnd why do you have sleeping st–oh, is there a sleepover I don't know about?" Lucas asked out loud as he turned around to look at Josh then back to the girls.

Riley shook her head. "No, we were just…lonely." Riley said.

Lucas slowly nodded his head, still in confusion. "O…Kay. Um, don't you and Josh have a flight early in the morning?"

Riley nodded. "Yes." She stated.

"Alright, so…" Lucas questioned. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for that?"

Maya sighed and groaned, obviously annoyed that handsome Texan continuously asked questions. "Listen Ranger Rick, Riley already dragged me over here against my better judgement. This isn't 21 Questions. Let us in then you can go back to shaving those non-existent hairs off your face." Maya always delivered when it come to putting someone in their place.

Riley snickered when she saw that Lucas's face got more red.

"Um," Lucas stammered before stepping to the side and letting the girls in. "Yeah…" He whispered to himself as he closed the door. "Non-existent? It takes a daily effort to get my face looking this smooth."

Maya slowly walked over to the couch, where Josh laid. His head was laying softly on a pillow with his left leg hanging off the edge of the couch. He was wearing a white tank top with a navy blue jacket hoodie; his jeans were also still on as well as his pearly white Air Force 1's. He looked very peaceful, and that was something Josh couldn't get in a long time.

Peacefulness.

Josh's body always ached like hell. There was no correct sleeping position, even standing up for a period of time was painful. He went to his regularly scheduled doctor visits, and they'd tell him that he's getting better. He didn't feel like it though. It felt like someone was driving a hammer to his ribs every 30 minutes, and Josh didn't know if he could take it anymore. But, Lucas was such a good best friend. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't have made it through this injury. The girls came over and helped sometimes, especially Maya. It's not that they didn't want to help; they felt like Lucas was doing an excellent job on his own, so why complicate and ruin that.

The twins' parents consistently called every two days to check on him, and his answer was always the same: "I'm fine, Mom. I'm hanging in there, Dad."

In reality, he wanted to say: "I'm hurting, Mom. I need you, Dad."

However, he knew he had Lucas. His brother. His partner in crime. His protector. His everything.

…And that may sound cheesy, but Josh loved his brother to death.

Inseparable.

That's what those two are.

Maya smiled at the sight then ruffled a sleeping Josh's hair. Josh was a heavy sleeper, which was odd because Riley would wake if a penny dropped on the floor. It was funny how those two worked out that way.

"Okay…" Lucas sang before emerging from his bedroom in a red tank top shirt and green shorts. "What's going on? Why are you guys really here?" He asked.

Riley shrugged. "I don't know. We just didn't want to be alone on the first night of Fall Break." She explained, "All of the girls are gone. I'm pretty sure your boys are gone too. We knew we would be bored, and I wanted Maya to have at least one good day before we all leave her here."

Lucas sighed, "Yeah. Ok. Cool."

Riley looked down at Lucas's feet. "You have some nice feet. Wow, I barely see men with nice feet nowadays." Riley said, completely mesmerized by the beauty of Lucas's feet.

Lucas let out a nervous laugh. "Thank you." He said and blushed. Soon, he had turned his attention to Maya, who was still admiring a sleeping Josh. "I just got him to go to sleep. Don't wake him. He gets cranky." Lucas whispered-shouted across the room to Maya.

Maya gives him a thumbs up.

Riley chuckled. "You say that like he's a newborn baby." She laughed.

Lucas nodded his head. "He might as well be. He whines nonstop, and I don't blame him…I mean, I know his mid-section is killing him. He barely gets any sleep. I'm usually awake trying to make sure he's comfy." He explained to Riley. "I even slept in the same bed with him a couple times, because it was getting to the point where I had to get out of my bed and walk all the way to him." He let out a tired sigh.

Riley puts a soft hand on Lucas's shoulder. He almost melted at her touch. It felt so nice. "Lucas, thank you." She said. "You don't know how much I appreciate you. And how much Josh does…" She wraps her arms around him then lays her head on his chest. Slowly but carefully, he wrapped his arms around her.

She smelled like Vanilla. Lucas always loved that smell. Every time she walked by, he would close his eyes and embrace the smell. He imagined it was what Heaven smelled like, because there was no other smell like it.

Lucas caught himself doing it again: closing his eyes and taking in her smell. Even her hair smells like Vanilla and…is that Peaches? Lucas thought to himself. He shook his head to snap out of his thoughts. "I appreciate it, but I don't look for pats on the back. He's my blood. I look after him even when he's acting perfectly normal." Lucas explained to Riley.

"Blood?" Maya piped from her crouching position in front of Josh's body. She had one hand coursing his hair as she looked at the two 'Destined Lovebirds', or that's just what Maya called them in her head.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yes, Maya." He said, knowing she took everything literal.

"Okay, let's not jump the bull, Cowboy." Maya laughed.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh!" That noise quieted the whole room. "Oh my gosh, Luke, you're so loud. SHUT UP!" Josh exclaimed, still with his eyes closed. He had turned his head away from Maya and to the back/head of the couch.

Lucas let go of Riley and made his way towards the cranky sleep-deprived guy. "Josh, stop being a baby!" Lucas laughed and teased. Soon, he was at the foot of the couch. He then used his knee to 'stand' on the arm of the couch before gently falling onto a half-awaken Josh. "Wake up!" Lucas said into Josh's hair.

Josh moaned, "No." He was too tired to do anything, so he just lied still underneath Lucas's body.

"I love this Nut to Butt action thats going on here." Maya quipped.

As if someone bought a flaming torch and pointed at him, Josh used all of his energy to slightly lift Lucas using his back and slide him down to the floor. Hearing Maya's voice lit a spark. It wasn't just her voice either; it was the fact that he was embarrassed. He hardly ever blushed or embarrassed himself in front of Maya. He was the one doing the embarrassing, but he's been off his game since he's been injured.

"I–Maya…" Josh sleepily greeted his beautiful blonde princess. "…um, Nut to Butt...pfft…" He scoffed. "…ew." He was indeed blushing.

Maya found it cute. His face was as red as a tomato. She would never let him live this down, and deep down Josh knew this as well.

Lucas stood up from the floor and dusted himself off. "You sure weren't saying 'ew' when you kept calling for me every night complaining about your stomach hurting or your ribs feeling like they're tearing your insides apart." Lucas explained.

Josh swung for Lucas's knees but missed. "You're not helping." He growled, gritting his teeth together.

Both Riley and Maya laughed.

"See!" Josh exclaimed. "Now, they're laughing at us."

Lucas chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, let's get you up." He said, reaching down to give Josh a hand but it was denied. "Well, Okay then." Lucas said after Josh smacked his hands away. "While you take 4 hours to get off the couch, I'll be over here with girls talking about our late night talks and buddy cuddling."

Josh grabbed the back of Lucas's shorts as he began walking away. "Stop. No. Stop...don't do that." He pleaded with his best friend. "They wouldn't get it."

"It's Maya and Riley, Josh." Lucas said before gently sitting Josh up. "They'll understand. Trust me." He promised then grabbed his hands to lift him from the couch.

"Understand what?" Riley asked.

Josh quickly let go of Lucas's hands and fell down to the couch. "I'm good. I'm going back to sleep." He announced before lying his head down on the arm. Maya walked over and sat on Josh's back. "Maya! Get off…I swear…Maya!" Josh cried as he tried to wiggle her off of him.

"Get up, then." Maya exclaimed before getting off of her soon to be Prince Charming. "You have company. Stop trying to sleep."

Josh rolled his eyes and groaned. "Company? It's my sister and her best friend. That's more like family. I'm going back to—AHHHH!" Josh screamed when suddenly a big extremely cold splash of water hit his face.

Josh's teeth danced together as he shivered.

Riley stood at the edge of the couch with a big smile on her face. She took a fake sip of water from her glass. "Ahhh…" She made a breathy sound. "That was very refreshing."

"I h-ha-hate y-y-y-you." Josh managed to stammer out.

Riley smiled back at her shivering brother. "And I…l-l-l-love y-y-y-you t-t-too." She mimicked him then ran her hand through his wet hair, pushing his hair to the front of his face playfully making a bang; she knew he hated those.

 **{*} 2 HOURS LATER {*}**

"So, what are you two doing here, exactly?" Josh questioned the two girls before he shoved a slice of mushroom-sausage pizza into his mouth. He had already showered in spiking hot water. Maya was still amazed at how Josh could stand under that shower head for about 30 seconds with that lava hot water touching his skin before stepping aside for about 10 seconds before re-entering it. It was abnormal for a human to be able to soak all of that heat without flinching. She only knew this because she had to grab a towel for him and noticed his figure from inside the blurry-clear shower curtain.

Riley cleared her throat. "Well, Maya here is…um…" Riley began poking at Maya. "…not able to go home." Riley told her brother.

"Oh, seriously? Oh wow…" Lucas said with a mouth full of pepperoni pizza.

Riley gritted her teeth together. "Lucas," She growled which granted her the attention of the handsome Texan. "Chew your food."

Lucas nodded then smiled, "Yes ma'am."

…and he did just as she asked.

"Maya," Josh said softly. He put a comforting hand on her lap and looked straight into her beautiful ocean blue eyes. "Are you ok? Is there anything happening at home with Uncle Shawn and T?" He asked her. _T_ was Josh's nickname for Katy, shorting it from Auntie.

Maya shook her head. "No," She responded. "Everything is fine. I just…you know, need this time alone, I guess…away from parents." She didn't know exactly how to say what she was feeling, which was two different things. In all honesty, she didn't have enough money to go visit her parents, but she couldn't tell Josh that. Riley sort of figured it out that she didn't have enough, but she never let Maya know that she knew.

The second Maya's eyes darted to the side, Josh knew she was lying.

 _Do_ _I_ _pry?_ Josh thought to himself. _Or do I just let it be? Or do I just let it be then pry an hour from now? Yeah, knowing me, I'll probably make the stupidest decision._

Well, at least Josh was honest about himself.

It went silent for the next couple of minutes. Josh was too into his thoughts on whether or not he should confront Maya on what's really going on. Maya was driving herself mentally crazy looking down and pretending to be interesting about anything that was happening on Facebook or Twitter, because she didn't want to look Josh in the eyes. Lucas had began eating his 6th pizza, not paying any attention to the awkwardness that was right in front of him. Riley, on the other hand, noticed everything wrong about this situation. She needed to break the tension, and she needed to do it NOW!

"I um…well…" Riley didn't know what she was going to say yet all eyes were on her. _I'm_ _so_ _stupid_. Riley thought to herself before she put on a nervous and awkward smile. "Um…" _Mushrooms_. _MUSHROOMS_! "Ew Josh, I'm tired of you eating that…fungus." Riley said after thinking to herself in her head that Josh's taste for mushrooms was the perfect escape.

Josh sighed then rolled his eyes. "Stop calling mushrooms that." He exclaimed, "…and they are not disgusting. They're really good for you too." He puts his hand on his heart. "Helps protect the heart's health. Good red blood cells, too." He explained.

Riley rolled her eyes at her twin brother. "Yes, but they also give you bad breath—"

"—only if you're not brushing your tongue and teeth properly!" Josh interjected.

"…And also causes you to repeatedly pass gas." Lucas added then turned to the girls. "That's a warning." He said before all three them burst in laughter, leaving Josh to think about if he should attempt the next slice of his mushroom-sausage pizza.

"Mytootsdontsmell…" Josh mumbled.

Maya and Riley scrunched their faces in confusion, while Lucas just shook his head and laughed.

"What?" Riley asked.

"My toots don't smell." Josh said a little more clearer.

Lucas let out the biggest "PFFT!" ever heard before dramatically passing out. "You have got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed when he opened his eyes, coming back from the dead. "Your farts are the worst!"

Josh gritted his teeth together as he stared down his best friend…his brother. However, now, Josh would gladly call him a traitor.

Riley laughed, "I forgot you still called your farts, toots."

This made Maya laugh, which in return shocked Josh.

"You too?!" Josh exclaimed, looking at Maya. She grimaced then shrugged. Josh nodded his head then dropped his pizza down in the box before moving to stand. Of course, he was struggling and Lucas tried to offer support but Josh didn't want it. "I'm off to bed. F y'all." He said, angrily.

Lucas's mouth dropped open. "Wait, are you mad…seriously? He asked then jumped up and ran to stand in front of Josh, blocking his pathway to the room. "Come on man, it was just jokes." Lucas explained to him.

"Yeah, but I'm tired of being the butt of the joke." Josh whined. "First, it was the nut to butt cuddling. You're annoying. You know that. I told you not to tell anyone about our bro-cuddling…" As Josh continued to talk, Lucas's hand was covering his mouth trying hard not to laugh. "…And now you're calling out my toots and embarrassing me in front of my girl—I mean, Maya…" He whisper-yelled. "You're just…UGH!"

Lucas burst into laughter, which almost in return made Josh punch him square in the face. "Okay, I'm sorry. That _toots_ needs to be wiped away from your vocabulary if you want me to take you seriously." He said.

"Hehe Haha!" Josh feigned laughter. "That was so funny." Josh said sarcastically, while holding a straight face. "You see my face? Do you? Yeah, that's how funny I think you are being right now."

A laugh slipped through Lucas's mouth once more.

"That's it!" Josh exclaimed before trying to push Lucas out of his way. Lucas was able to stop him with one hand as Josh tried to wrestle himself out of Lucas's grip. It just wasn't happening.

Maya sighed. "Josh stop before you hurt yourself." She said in a soft tone before putting her hand on his arm. It seemed as though he listened, because he slowly began to wine down. "…and nobody cares about your cuddle sessions with Bucky."

It was Lucas's turn to grit his teeth together and growl. "Maya…"

Josh laughed and stuck out his tongue. "Ha! That's my girl!" Josh exclaimed then put his hand in the air to high-five Maya, which in return she happily did.

My Girl…a smile formed on Maya's face as those two words began to consume her mind. The fact that he said that meant a lot to Maya, even if he didn't mean anything by it.

It was a step in the right direction.

 **{*} 2 HOURS LATER {*}**

"I'm tired of playing board games. Actually, I'm just tired in general." Maya told Josh, who was trying to get her to finish the game of Monopoly. "I'm sleepy, Josh. We're not those young and bad little teenagers that would sneak to stay up late we once were before." She groaned.

Josh sighed, "Fine." He threw his pieces up in the air, letting fall where they lay.

Lucas threw his hands up. "Wha–Why?" He was confused as to why Josh didn't just finish the game. "What was the point in that? You're acting like a child."

Josh softly smacked the side of Lucas's face. "Shut up." He barked.

"Okay, Yeah…Yeah…Ha Ha, that was sooooo fu–lame!" Riley said sarcastically in her phone. This caught the attention of Lucas, who was lost on whoever Riley was speaking to. "We'll talk later." She announced before she ended the phone call.

Wearing her koala onesie she got from Target, Riley made her way to the group and sat down before picking up the dice. "Is it my turn?" She asked before looking up at the other three, who she finally realized were looking at her in confusion. What have I done this time? She thought to herself.

Josh smirked and folded his arms. "Who were you talking to?" Of course, he asked that question. Any brother would ask that question, hoping to instigate and meddle if necessary.

Riley shook her head. "No one important." She simply stated.

Lucas scoffed, "Didn't seem like no one." He piped.

Riley rolled her eyes, "Mind your business." She snapped.

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but Maya quickly tried to resolve the tension. "OKAY! Stop! Both of you!" Maya exclaimed. "What is going on?" Maya asked, looking at both Riley and Lucas.

Riley sighed then shook her head. "Nothing is going on. I'm just…a little on edge, I guess." She explained.

"About what?" Josh asked.

"I have th–Never mind." Riley quickly stopped herself from saying to much. She put a quick smile on her. "So, are we finishing this game or not?"

The annoyance that stemmed from Riley's spirit irked Lucas's last nerves. No, he never thought Riley was annoying. He loved her personality, and he loved that she was herself; she didn't try to imitate someone else. However, what he didn't like was the fakeness. No, he wasn't calling Riley a fake person, but it didn't take a psychologist to read Riley. She was a pretty easy readable person, and Lucas could tell that she was hiding something.

So, what does he do about it?

"LUCAS!"

"WHAT THE F*CK, MAN!"

"UH OH! HEE HAW IS UPSET!"

There, in front of the four amigos, lied a flipped game board. The game pieces were scattered everywhere, and one might've accidentally hit Josh on his forehead.

"We were done playing it anyways." Lucas announced to them before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Maya turned to Josh. "Why is he acting like…YOU?" She asked Josh then pointed at him.

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. It's weird. Maybe he's stressed and tired." Josh said. "I only see Lucas acting this way when he's stressed about something."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Seriously? We're making excuses for him." She exclaimed.

Josh scrunched has face in confusion. "Excuses? No, I was just giving Maya a hypothetical reason as to why he may be acting like this." He stated. "That's not an excuse."

"What is going on between you two?" Maya asked Riley.

Riley shrugged. "I don't know. That comment just pissed me off, and I guess it set us off." Riley sighed then facepalmed. "Maybe it's because I'm sleepy and tired."

"Exccccuuuuussssseeees…" Josh sang, earning a slap on his arm from Maya.

Maya chuckled then said, "Josh, Go check on him."

Josh smiled and eagerly nodded his head like a little kid in a candy store. "Yes ma'am." He said before running to Lucas's bedroom.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"If you come in here, Josh, I will knock you to the ground." Lucas monotoned through the door.

Josh raised his hand to knock again but hesitated. Yeah, I probably shouldn't meddle right now. He thought to himself before turning around and walking back to the girls.

"Sorry," Josh told them. "He's being a stubborn baby."

Maya rolled her eyes, "You didn't even try." She said.

"Whatever." Josh said then slouched in his seat on the couch.

Maya scrunched her face. "Whatever?" She mimicked Josh's tone. "What does that suppose to mean?" She asked him.

Josh groaned, "It just means whatever, Maya. I'm not going to argue with you over what this word means."

"I know what the word means. The way you said it and how you shrugged it off as if us asking you meant nothing, I—"

"MAYA!" Riley shouted, hoping to quiet Maya down.

Josh covered Riley's mouth with his hand. "No, no…let her keep talking, Riley. Go ahead, Maya." He said.

Maya sighed, "Nothing."

"Nothing…" Josh mimicked Maya this time. "What does that suppose to mean?" It was his turn to ask her.

Riley groaned. "Oh no! What is going on?" She exclaimed before getting up and charging towards Lucas's bedroom. Yes, she is heading straight for his bedroom. She needed to clear the air.

"Josh, I'm not really in the mood to be arguing right now." Maya claimed.

Josh nodded. "Okay fine. Let's talk about why you're not going home for Fall Break."

Maya sighed, "Josh, I already told you—"

"Nope!" Josh cut her off. "The I need time alone away from my parents bullcrap isn't cutting it. I can see right through it, Maya." He said to her. "Maybe there's a legitimate reason as to why you can't tell me the truth. But just know that I know you're lying. And, I don't like it."

Maya watched as Josh's facial expression went from angry and upset to simply being sad. She didn't understand why her not going home for Fall Break bothered Josh so much. Some college kids always stayed in their dorms or apartments for breaks, just to get away from their family. For Maya, it was money but missing one Break from her parents wasn't the end of the world for her. She'll see them during Winter Break, but that wasn't guaranteed at this point.

"It's fine." Maya managed to pull out of her mouth after a little bit of silence.

Josh shook his head. "No, it's not. Stop lying to me, Maya." He said then looked at her in her eyes. "I'm here. I'm right here. I confide in you all the time about the most crazy things. Remember the first time I had sex and I—"

"—told me about how you somehow bought the edible candy non-condom and put it on thinking it was real before getting laughed at by your partner." Maya laughed, remembering that day. Lucas was at work around that time, and Josh was going crazy over the fact that his first experience wasn't even an experience. The girl laughed in his face then got up and left.

Josh laughed, "Wow. That taught me to pay more attention to what I buy. I didn't know it was an edible. I thought it was a rubber." He facepalmed.

"I…um…it was money." Maya somehow garnered the strength to tell Josh the truth.

Josh's eyebrows twitched. _Money_? _That's_ _it_. He thought to himself. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, it was the fact that she could have easily asked him for money. He would've happily bought her a plane ticket to go home.

"Maya," Josh said softly. "I could've easily bought you a ticket. All you had to do was ask. You know I would've done it."

Maya nodded then shook her head. "No, that's the problem." She announced. "I want to be able to purchase my own ticket. I could've done that if I was much more responsible with my money. Instead, I buy new shoes and clothes and video games and…" As Maya rambled on, Josh couldn't help but to smile. She was so cute. "…And And And I—Gosh! I'm so irresponsible." She said, and her voice broke.

Josh noticed the break.

"Listen, Maya…" Josh softly said as he took her hands into his. "You're not irresponsible. You're just like all of us. Any person our age would go around on a shopping spree and spend money, because we earned it. We feel like if we earn it we spend it. I do it sometimes."

Tears were in Maya's eyes now. "But," She cried. "…I just wanna see them…and I—"

"Hey hey hey…" Josh pulled Maya in his arms. "See, I knew you wanted to see them. You can't lie to me, Hart. I see right through it, especially the people I care about the most." He cooed.

He cares about me, Maya thought to herself.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome. I'm always here." He told her.

He watched as she snuggled closer in his chest. It felt right. It felt like she had always belonged in that exact spot. Her head fit nicely and her hair felt very nice for Josh to put his head on. He never had this feeling before. And, he wanted to cherish it.

"I'm tired." Maya said then let out a yawn.

Josh chuckled. "Come on, let me get up. I'll let you have the couch." He told her then tried to get up, but Maya didn't want to let him go. Her grip was super tight. "Maya, come on. It's almost 2 o'clock in the morning." Josh told her.

"No, don't leave." She moaned. "You smell so good."

Josh laughed. "Thanks, But forreal Maya…" He said and slowly Maya began loosening her grip from around the guy's waist. "I'll go get some more blankets for you." He told her before standing up and making his way to the hallway.

"Josh?" Maya called out to him. Josh halted then turned to Maya, who was looking at him from the top of the couch. "Again, Thank you."

Josh smiled. "And again, I'm always here. You're always welcome."

A smile formed on Maya's face as she watched him open a closet door. He stood on his tippy-toes then crouched then stood up straight again. Hmmm, I thought there were here. They're usually right here. He thought to himself before turning around and knocking on Lucas's door.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

"L—"

The door swung open and Riley stood there with her arms folded. "What?!" She exclaimed. "Me and Lucas are in an important conversation right now, so feel free to leave and stop knocking." She screamed before slamming the door.

Josh's eyes went wide before he shrugged and walked away.

"You can't get mad at Josh and start screaming at him." Lucas defended his best friend from his best friend's sister. Wait. How does that work? "He hasn't done anything wrong. This is a conversation between you and me. A and B. Leave C out of it." He told her from his sitting position on his bed.

She walked over to and plopped right beside him. "Let me get this straight, you're mad at me because I'm always on my phone?" Riley asked. She was confused as to why Lucas was annoyed with her tonight. The explanation he gave her didn't add up.

"No, I'm mad because you seem too preoccupied with your phone than with our game night." Lucas told her…again.

Riley groaned. "So, now I'm not free to be on my phone?" She asked.

Lucas shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm saying. We barely ever have time to do stuff together…" Riley gave him a confused look, which made Lucas backtrack. "…I mean, do stuff together with Josh and Maya…you know? Best friends…anyways, I'm just…annoyed. That's all." He tried to explain.

"Lucas, the flipping of the board and outburst still doesn't make sense." Riley stated. "You know, when I walked in, I was happy to see you happy. For the past couple of weeks, it seemed like something was bothering you or the joyous Lucas I always seen was put on pause. But tonight, you were joking around and having fun…and I'm not gonna lie, my heart fluttered at that sight." Riley admitted, and this in return made Lucas's heart flutter. "But," Oh boy here we go. "Then, you went back to the worrisome Lucas."

Lucas sighed, "Riley, I'm always worried. About Josh. About me. About You…" He said and this got another confused look. "…and Maya." He quickly added in. His cheeks flushed red.

"Well, stop doing that." Riley told him. "Stop stressing and worrying. I'm okay."

Lucas silently nodded. There was something else he wanted to ask her, but he was scared to do it. "Who's the Eggplant emoji in your phone?" Welp. So much for being scared.

Riley's mouth dropped open. "What?! You went through my phone?" She exclaimed.

Lucas sighed, "Sorry. You weren't paying much attention to game night. So when you went to the bathroom that one time, I checked it." He admitted.

Riley's face suddenly turned blood red. And admittedly, Lucas was more nervous and scared than the time he broke Riley's Wonderland snow statue because of playing frisbee in the house.

"YOU ARE PATHETIC!" Riley yelled.

Lucas sighed, "Riley, I'm sorry."

"Who gives you the right to go through someone's phone and snoop in their business, Lucas?" Riley was very upset, and Lucas clearly saw that.

Lucas shook his head. "No one, but I'm just trying to make sure you're oka—"

"—or you're jealous." Riley interrupted Lucas.

"Wait," Lucas sat up straighter. "Are you and this guy really going out?"

"Lucas, I'm not even sure what's going on." Riley admitted. "I'm confused, because maybe I do like him. He's so sweet, and he has asked me out many times. But, I always turned him down in the most nicest way." She explained. Her eyes started to tear up. "Maybe," her voice began to break. "I shouldn't have. He would have had more respect about my privacy than you will, right?" Riley was truly hurt.

"Riley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He said softly, reaching out for her hand but she quickly moved it away.

Riley stood up from Lucas's bed. "Lucas, I don't honestly know what to say to you right now. That was an invasion of privacy." Her voice broke again.

"Riley, I…" Lucas halted for a minute to gather his emotions, because his voice was also beginning to break. He didn't want to cry in front of this girl. He never cried in front of her. He was always strong with her and weak with Josh. "I'm accepting full responsibility for my actions. I just…gosh…"

"After that kiss in the locker room, you've been avoiding me. You would cut our conversations short or act like you had something important to do, when I knew for a fact that you were just trying to get away from me." Riley explained to him, and Lucas couldn't look Riley in the eye anymore. What she said was true, he had been trying his best to avoid her after he saved her spot on the cheerleading team with that kiss. For some reason unknown to him, it meant more than just 'helping out a friend', but Lucas didn't want that to be true.

Was he seriously falling for his best friend's sister?

"Riley, I'm sorry." Lucas apologized again, looking down at his lap. "It just felt awkward afterwards. I don't know."

Riley sighed, "It didn't feel awkward to me."

Lucas looked up, but as soon as she said that she had opened the door and walked out of his room.

 _It didn't feel awkward to me_. Lucas thought to himself. _It_ _didn't feel awkward to me…What does that mean_? Guys always had a hard time understanding something, even when it was being spelled right there in front of him.

 **{*} 3 HOURS LATER {*}**

Josh had been awake since he first lied down a few hours ago. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he had fallen asleep earlier. Or, maybe he was used to someone like Lucas to cuddle him to sleep. Whatever it was, he needed more sleep, especially with his flight being later that morning.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Three soft knocks sounded from Josh's bedroom door.

He turned his head to see a beautiful blonde in a pink crop top with purple boy shorts. Josh smiled at the dark but clear sight in front him.

"I can't sleep." Maya told him.

Josh gestured for her to come to him. "Cuddle Buddy?" He squeaked once she sat on the edge of the bed.

She rolled her eyes at him but in a playful manner. "Fine. But I'm the big spoon." She had already claimed her spot.

A big smile appeared on the brunette's face. "Deal." He said before scooting over and letting Maya in.

Maya wrapped her arms around Josh's fit body. How was that still possible, since he hadn't been able to properly work out since his injury a month ago? No one knew. Maya then tucked her legs as close as she could without mistakenly kneeing Josh in the balls. However, within 30 seconds of cuddling, Maya knew that it wasn't going to work.

Maya laughed, "This isn't going to work."

Josh chuckled. "I was wondering when you were gonna say that." He said.

Both of them looked at each other then simultaneously shouted, "Switch."

Now, Josh was the big spoon and Maya was the little spoon. "Perfect," Josh said softly by her ear. He snuggled a little closer, trying to get all of Maya's body. However, there was one more thing that was annoying Maya.

"Why is it so damn hot in your room?" She asked him before starting to strip.

Josh's mouth dropped open. "W–W–Wait." He stammered out. "Do you want me to—"

"Too late!" Maya announced before she climbed in bed with nothing but her purple bra and pink panties.

"Funny, your shirt was pink and your shorts were purple. Then, you took them off and now your bra is purple and your underwear is pink." Josh announced.

Maya shoulder bumped Josh in the face. "You're paying too much attention." She told him.

He laughed, "I would be lying if I say I didn't."

Maya chuckled to herself. "Shut up."

"You love it." Josh teased.

She turned her body so that it was facing his. She took her hand and softly stroked Josh's bottom jaw. "I do." She spoke softly to him. "But," As she said this, she must've touched a sensitive spot on Josh's face cause he let out a non-audible moan. "Should we be doing this?" She asked and closed her eyes.

He began to gently caress the side of her abdomen. "Doing what?" He asked her. "All we're doing is cuddling." He never opened his eyes. The warmth from her touch was driving his body insane. How could someone have this much heat?

"Exactly." She said. "We're not there yet."

Josh chuckled. "Says who? The universe."

Maya put her hand on Josh's chin before slowly moving it downward and stopping on his chest. "I don't know." She told him, then smirked when she seen his muscles clench together. "Maybe because…" She trailed off as she moved her hand down little by little. She felt his body shiver as she inched closer and closer to his midsection, but then…

"ARGH!" Josh moaned in pain. "Maya, why did you do that?!" He exclaimed.

Maya laughed, "That's what you get."

"I've been behaving though." He complained. "You didn't have to tease me like that. And then, you hit me in my stomach. You're cruel."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Stop being a baby. I just thumped your stomach." She laughed, "You act as if I punched you in your gut."

"You might as well…" Josh mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Maya asked.

Josh shook his head. "Nothing." He quickly answered.

They stayed like that for a few minutes.

Silence.

It was oddly very comforting to hear the sounds of casts passing by the apartment, and the sound of the somewhat loud music that would blasts from those same cars. The sound of either Riley or Lucas going in and out the bathroom even seemed peaceful. Or, maybe it seemed nice since they were in each other's arms.

"When was the last time you had sex?" Maya couldn't come to grips on how she allowed that to escape her lips.

However, luckily for her, Josh didn't seem fazed by it. "About a month and a half, almost 2 months since…" He admitted.

The sleep in his voice was very noticeable. "Oh, I'm sorry." Maya apologized. "You were finally able to rest, and I broke you out of that slumber."

She could feel his warm breath blowing near her ear every seven seconds. It felt so good to her.

"It's okay." He said sleepily. His voice sounded so sexy to Maya; she almost turned around and forced her lips onto his. But, she wanted to be better than that. Doing that would've been too easy. "I made you a promise." He spoke softly before sniffing to clear his noise.

Maya smiled.

He did make her a promise, and it made her feel special knowing he was honoring that promise. And, the fact that he was half-asleep let her know that he was indeed telling the truth. Being half-asleep is like being drunk, the truth comes out even when you don't want it to mainly on the mere fact that your brain isn't thinking about certain things properly.

"I'm proud of you." Maya told him. She could feel his mouth move, meaning he was smiling.

"That makes me feel good." He told her. "I just want to make you happy."

 _Oh_ _my_ _gosh_ , Maya thought to herself. _That_ _was_ _so_ _hot_!

Maya chuckled, "You always make me happy. Even when you were going around being a h*e, I knew your heart. You will always be the guy that beat up little creeps that always messed with me. You will always be the guy that ditched his prom date to take me to the prom because I was _more important than being some piece of ass for some ugly ass miniature football league asshole that probably couldn't d*ck you down properly because of his tiny p*nis_." This got a chuckle for Josh, who remembered saying those specific words. He was very upset that Maya's date ditched her, because she told her date that she wasn't ready to have sex. And, you better believe it that he beat the sh*t out of the guy the following week. "You will always be the guy that told me in the elevator that he loved me." She remembered that one very clearly, and so did Josh because he finally opened his eyes.

"I meant that." Josh told her.

She smiled, "Yeah. I know. Trust me, I know you a lot more than you think I do."

He laughed, "Probably more than myself."

Maya nodded. "Yeah. It's true."

This causes the two break out in laughter.

"I wonder why Lucas and Riley can't have a moment like this…" Maya said to Josh.

"What?" He seemed a little taken aback. "I'm confused. What do you mean?"

Maya sighed, "Riley has a crush on Lucas. Lucas likes Riley."

Josh scoffed, "Yeah right. Lucas doesn't like Riley. He sees her as his sister."

Maya turned around in his arms to face him again. "Isn't that basically how we started out?" She asked him.

Realization dawned on Josh. "Oh sh*t!" He groaned. "But…But…No, this…No, how in the hell did I not see that?" Josh huffed. "No, you're just putting that in my head. There's no way that's true."

Maya chuckled then turned back around. "When Lucas finally comes to you with his feelings, you owe me $100." She told him.

He scoffed. "If that does happen, I just won't tell you he did."

"…And then I'll cut your d*ck off." She said in a menacing tone.

Josh rolled his eyes and tightened his grip around Maya. "Are you saying that you and I are together?" He questioned. "You technically did say it."

Maya shook her head. "No, I'm just…we're just in a comfortable place right now." She told him.

"Yeah," He said. "But we know that we like each other. If what you're saying is true, those two don't know it yet."

Maya smiled, "So you're saying you know that you like me."

She turned around.

Josh smiled at the sight of her plump face. "Yes," He answered then inched closer. His eyes filtered down to her lips then back up to her eyes. He slowly inched closer and closer until he could feel her breath on his face. Finally, he pushed his lips onto hers but kept it gentle. A loud smack could be heard once he pulled away. Maya bit the bottom of her lip, secretly wanting him to do that again. However, Josh was trying to be a lot more delicate with her than a lot of others girls he dealt with. Something about Maya drove him insane. "I do." He finished. "I do very much."

 **{*} 5 HOURS LATER {*}**

It's 10 o'clock AM on a Saturday Morning.

"Josh, you don't have to do this." Maya pleaded with Josh.

He shook his head. "No, I'm okay. I have Lucas. I'll be fine." He promised her.

She sighed, "Are you sure?"

He grabbed the back of her head then leaned down and captured his lips. "Yes," He told her. "I am."

"But—" She tried to respond, but Josh wasn't having it.

"—But Nothing…" He told her. He gave her the firm piece of cut-out paper. "That's your plane ticket. You're taking my spot. Go to New York and see your parents." He explained, and Maya was about to interject but he put a finger on the center of her mouth to stop her from talking. "You know you don't owe me back anything. Be safe. Have fun with Riley." He said with a smile.

"Come on, Maya!" Riley shouted, waving for Maya to join her near the metal detectors.

Maya smiled up at Josh. "Thank you."

Josh nodded, "Yeah. No problem. Now go have fun."

She ran off.

Josh looked next to him at Lucas, who was giving him a big ole proud smile. "Aw, Joshy grew up!" Lucas said, teasing and tickling his best friend.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah—Stop!" He laughed as he fought off Lucas The Tickling Master.

The two walked out of the airport building and to Josh's car. Then, Lucas helped Josh get into the passenger seat while he took the driver's seat.

"What's up with you and Riley?" Josh asked out of the blue.

Lucas sighed as he turned on the ignition. "I did something very bad." He admitted.

Josh shrugged, "Couldn't be that bad. I caught her in your bed this morning."

Lucas chuckled, "Yeah…I offered her the bed while I slept on the floor. It was the most gentlemen thing to do."

Josh nodded. "Good." He said then grabbed Lucas's ear and pulled him close to him. "Cause if you don't fix whatever you did to her, I'm going to give Maya a new nickname to call you: Red Nose. So, do me a favor and fix it, quickly. Got it?" Josh said in a brooding tone.

"Alright, Okay." Lucas pleaded and whined. Josh let Lucas's war go then slopped back down in his seat.

Lucas shook his head amusingly. "You know, brooding isn't your type." He told Josh.

Josh smiled like a little kid. "Yeah, I know." He said then reached and grabbed Lucas's ear again. "I just had to make sure you got the point." He said in a brooding voice again.

"Okay! Okay! Mr. Oliver Queen!" Lucas screamed.

* * *

 **A/N: A long chapter! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Some of you guys were PMing me and leaving reviews about when I was going to update.**

 **I have a solution to that.**

 **FOLLOW ME on Tumblr under stormaixwrites!**

 **There, you will find out what's going on. I have new stories coming, and my title cover art is all there in full. Here, sometimes I have to cut it or smush everything together to fit so y'all can see it. Well now, you can see it all on Tumblr. Updates about the new chapters and new stories are like everyday there. It's something new I invested in. So, let's talk and communicate there. Leave me suggestions and everything on there and on here. It's all fine.**

 **If you haven't check it out, BEFORE THE LINES has been out since December(?). Go check it out!**

 **Peace,**

 **•STORMAI**


	12. The Naked Truth

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **There's two things I want to highlight for this story.**

 **1\. The first being that Josh's personality is an essential piece of this story. He's "childish" (as a guest has stated) because he's got more learning to do than necessarily others. For example, Lucas wasn't going around hooking up with every girl that he thought was HOT. Hell, he's still a virgin. Josh, on the other hand, is learning how to become a better person for someone he loves. Also, this is an AU (Alternate Universe) which is SPECIFICALLY mentioned in the Author's Note of the first chapter "Crossing Boundaries".**

 **2\. The Josh-Lucas relationship is key to this first season plot, especially as we dig into the next few chapters. As we near the end of this first part (first season), you will realize why I heavily focused on their relationship. Now, no, it's probably not gonna be such a hugely extravagant big deal. It just helps with what I'm doing. I was always gonna highlight their friendship. And yes, it can make you knit your eyebrows, but I wanted to show a different bromance. I grew up with my best friend and her older brother having this deep connected relationship with his best friend/brother. They were inseparable. I remember being over her house and walking in to one comforting the other while he was crying before ultimately jolting away and acting like nothing was wrong. One of them is engaged and the other has had a 2-year relationship with his girlfriend. So, no, THEY'RE NOT GAY!**

 ***Footnote: Read Before The Lines! If you did (no spoilers), then you would know where this story is headed.**

 **Do not take any of what I'm saying as if I'm angry. I'm not. I just had to confront you guys on why it's being written this way.**

 **AND IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL SEE MORE OF JOSH-LUCAS BROMANCE! DO NOT BE ALARMED!**

 **JOSHAYA AND RUCAS ARE ENDGAME IN THIS STORY! (LOL ooops…Spoiler Alert) •STORMAI**

* * *

 _Chapter XII_ **: The Naked Truth**

Josh let out a tired sigh. It was now 11:30 and sleep was calling his name. After a long day at the doctors office then rehab center, Josh was ready to call it a night. He inserted the key into the key hole and turned it before twisting the golden knob and pushing the door open. As soon as he opened the door, he was welcomed by the handsome bare-chested nineteen year old who looked like he was in a crisis, also known as Lucas.

"Woah. Woah. Woah." Josh said, knitting his eyebrows. Confusion was written all over his face. _Why in the hell is this dork pacing?_ He thought to himself. He quickly shut the door before progressively walking to where Lucas was striding. "Do you want to talk about it or should I—"

"Leave? Yeah, I think you should too." Lucas said, still pacing. Clearly, he didn't want to be bothered at the moment. However, everyone knew Josh and Josh won't stop being Josh until he got what he wanted. Still though, he acted the same afterwards which angered the hell out of his friends. Josh took out one of hands that was in his pockets and gently placed it on Lucas's shoulder. "Dude, if you need to talk, I'm your guy."

"What if I don't want to talk about it?" Lucas said, moving to pace again. Josh's hand slowly fell off Lucas's shoulder as he moved away.

"Oh, come on!" Josh exclaimed. "You and I both know that I can read you like a school paper."

"Which you are not good at reading, by the way." Lucas added.

Josh rolled his eyes and lightly shoved Lucas. "Smartass." He teased as he playfully glared at his friend. Soon, Josh was back to trying to read his best friend. _The pacing was one thing, but the cutthroat jabs was another._ He thought to himself. _But then he—OH WAIT!_ "Are you f*ing kidding me right now! You're having girl problems." Josh exclaimed once again before throwing his bags to the floor and grabbing Lucas's arm. He forcefully pulled him to the couch and they sat there.

It was quiet for a little while. The awkward and breathless silence from Lucas assured Josh that he was indeed correct. _Oh My God!_ Josh thought to himself. He didn't know what to do with himself, because Lucas was mostly always the one doing the comforting, but now it was him. _Ok, so…girls. That's easy. It's my forte—well, WAS my forte…Goddamnit._

"H-how did you know?" Lucas suddenly uttered.

"Well..." Josh tried to mimic that of a cowboy. "If I recall, I did tell you that I can read you like a school paper. Not a book, because I'm not good at reading those. Or a school paper."

Lucas couldn't help but to laugh at Josh's honesty. "You're such an ass." He laughed.

"Okay, fine." Josh returned to his normal voice. "I'm seriously reading you right now, and I can tell. I never seen you pace around the floor like that."

"Then how did you know that it was a girl?" Lucas asked.

"It was really a lucky guess." Josh said before he started to laugh. "Oh, who am I kidding?!" He exclaimed once his laughter subsided. "Pacing around the living room floor is one thing, but the smell of what I know must've been a humongous sh*t is filling the room." Josh explained with his fingers pinching his nose closed shut. Lucas's head quickly dropped down as he tried to hide the blush of embarrassment he quickly developed. "You know, Luke. I love you and all, but you need to get that checked out." Josh pointed to the hallway where the bathroom was located.

Ever since Lucas was a child, he developed this weird condition where he always had to take a duece when he got really stressed. It was something Josh, Riley, Maya, and the parents only knew about; they always made fun of him about it. It wasn't a disease or anything. It was just his body reacting to things. Unfortunately for Lucas, he got stuck with the sh*tty end of the stick.

Lucas punched Josh in his arm. "Dude. This is not a time to make fun of me and my weird stress-poop condition. I'm serious." He whined.

"Alright, fine." Josh says. "What happened to make you all…poop stressed?" Josh covered his mouth to stifle the laughter that wanted to seep out of his mouth.

"Well..." Lucas sighed then stood. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. When he turned to Josh preparing to explain himself, he caught Josh vigorously typing on his phone. "JOSH!" Lucas yelled before snatching Josh's phone away. He read the sent text: **_Luke dropped a Duke again. He stressin *silly face emoji* *laughing emoji*_**

"Luke, um…" Josh cleared his throat. "I can explain." Lucas was clearly annoyed as evident by his face. Josh was honestly kind of scared. "You see, me and the girls…and dad and mom…and your mom—" Lucas gasped hearing that his mom was involved. "—have this group chat where we update each other on the next SPC episode."

Lucas knitted his eyebrows. "SPC?"

"Stress Poop Case…SPC…Geez, bro, I thought you were smart." Josh teased.

Lucas groaned, internally thinking about all the laughs and kumbaya his 'family' could've had at his expense. So, he sat far far away from Josh at the other end of the couch. "You know, I shouldn't have told you. You never take anything seriously."

Josh laughed. "Okay, Okay, I'm sorry. You're always here for me when I need answers, so I'm gonna be here for you." He explained. "Alright, Alright…" Josh said and clapped his hands together as he moved closer to Josh. "Let's get serious. So, you had thoughts about a girl?" He asked Lucas.

Lucas nodded. "Not just any girl though." He admitted.

Josh slowly nodded. "Riiiight…." He stretched the word and had one hand on his chin as if he was a therapist listening to his patient.

Lucas slapped his face with his hand. "Dude, I'm serious. Can you be serious for a quick minute?" Lucas exclaimed. "That's all I ask. Goddamnit, you're so f*cking childish, man."

Josh flinched, hearing Lucas curse. There's not many times you'd have the pleasure of hearing Lucas Friar say an explicit word.

"But you love me though…" Josh responded. Lucas rolled his eyes in response. "So," Josh dropped the therapist act since it was infuriating Lucas. "You were having thoughts about someone. Do I know this someone?" Josh asked.

Lucas nodded his head. "Yes." He answered.

"Okay, is she taller or shorter than you?" Josh asked another question.

Lucas shook his head this time. "No," He quickly answered.

"Okay, is she hot?" _Of course Josh asks this question_ , Lucas thought to himself.

Lucas nodded his head. "Yes…without question."

Josh smiled. "Ok then…would she date me—"

Lucas gagged. "Oh my gosh, no! Ew, dude!" He blurted out.

Josh took a second to observe Lucas's reaction before quickly coming to a conclusion. "You had thoughts about—ew, man!" Josh shouted before taking off his black and red Jordan and throwing them at Lucas's head. "You were having nasty thoughts about my sister."

"Who wouldn't?" Bad choice of words, Lucas. Josh's face turned stone cold as he sent a threatening glare towards Lucas's way. "I—I mean. No, I wasn't thinking about her...and Charlie."

"Charlie?" Josh asked. "Who's Charlie?"

"Charlie Gardner. He's on the Flakesville debate and robotics team." Lucas told to Josh.

Josh had a look of disgust. "Eaaak! No wonder why I haven't heard of him? He sucks." Josh proclaimed. "I mean, he's on the debate team. Okay, he's kind of a nerd. Then, he enters the robotics club. Like, hell yeah, he's a nerd."

Lucas sighed, "…and he's also in her ensembles class."

"Ensembles?" Josh was confused.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Music!" He exclaimed.

Josh's face immediately turned from disgusted to worried. "Oh no, he gotta get out of there!" He yelled.

"I seen them too laughing together and she twirled her hair." He said.

"She twirls her hair when she's nervous, though." Josh told Lucas.

"No, she rubs her lips together when she's nervous. I seen her do it before." Lucas explained to Josh. "She twirls her hair when she's into someone."

Josh slid closer to where Lucas sat. "How in the hell can you tell me what my sister does and why she does it?" He muttered.

"Because she has done it plenty of times." Lucas said. "I observe, and I am who she's crushing on."

Josh shook his head. "No, dude. You're lying." He told Lucas. "Not to sound creepy, but I know how my sister functions."

"Not to sound rude, but no you don't." Lucas quickly rebutted. "Sorry, bro."

"So...what's with this Charlie dude?" Josh asked.

"I guess, seeing another guy make her laugh and stuff makes me feel like an idiot because I should be the one making her do that stuff." Lucas rambled. "I'm an idiot for searching through her phone."

"You really are." Josh agreed, nodding his head. Lucas sent a glare his way. "Oh, I'm suppose to be helping. Alright, so we all know that you're pretty jealous—"

"I am not." Lucas cut Josh off.

"Are too." Josh quickly shot back. "Dude, you're sitting over here frustrated because another guy makes my sister twirl her hair and makes her laugh. Dude, you are totally jealous." After saying this, Josh pat Lucas on the back. "Hey, cheer up. Look on the bright side, you and Riley had a good talk about you snooping through her phone." Josh smiled and shrugged. "That's a plus." _Oh, so he got jokes_ …Lucas thought to himself.

Lucas shoved Josh aside. "Asshole." He uttered.

Josh laughed.

Lucas mumbled something else that was inaudible for Josh to head before standing up. "I just feel like there's something wrong with that dude. Seeing them together just doesn't feel right." He said out loud.

"You're surprisingly in your feelings more than usual. Like way way more than usual…" Josh stated.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Shut up." He said before swatting at Lucas's face.

"No, no, I'm serious." Josh said then pointed at Lucas's shorts.

"Is that why you have a boner?" Josh joked and Lucas's face turned dark red.

It wasn't a boner. In fact, it was just the d*ck print that was sitting in his underwear. It just so happens that it was sort of visible. Thankfully, he was at home.

Lucas grabbed the shoe that Josh threw at him then tossed it back, making sure to aim for his leg and not his ribs.

"Sorry, dude. Bad timing. Seriously though, having sex thoughts about a person is only going to make you go insane." Josh joked.

Lucas gritted his teeth together. "You better be so goddamn lucky that you're injured right now, because I swear…" Lucas threatened.

"Threatening the injured guy?" Josh chuckled. "That's a b*tch move."

Lucas gritted his teeth together again. "Only a b*tch would know that."

Suddenly, Lucas clutched his stomach.

"SPC?" Josh asked then laughed as Lucas sped walked towards the bathroom.

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEE–Swipe!

A yawn escaped Missy's mouth as she stretched her arms and sat up in her bed.

Or was this Chris's bed?

"Ugh! Already?" Chris whined, tightening his grip around Missy.

Missy chuckled, "Yes silly… _Already_?!" She mimicked his tone.

One of Chris's eyes popped open before a smile took over his mouth. "You're so goddamn cute." He murmured.

Missy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. I look like one of those zombies from The Walking Dead." Missy will not let Chris lie to her. She knew she looked ridiculous in the morning, and she wouldn't let anybody tell her otherwise.

Chris propped himself upwards before planting a kiss on Missy. "Well…in that case, you're a cute zombie." He cooed.

Missy watched as her _Friend_ shuffled out of bed, stretched his arms and legs, and go on a frantic search for his clothes. She couldn't help but to laugh at how much he looked like those boys she used to sneak in her house and made escape through her bedroom window. Her parents were strict, but here in college…it was a whole different story.

She could kiss who she wanted…and NOT get a scolding for it.

She could horseplay with who she wanted…and NOT get a punishment for it.

She could have sex with who she wanted…and NOT get any sort of pushback for it.

However, in this particular case, she was only scoring in two out of three of those things.

"You're searching around as if we just had sex and my dad just walked inside the house." Missy called to Chris.

Chris turned his head to his Friend and stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, you wish."

Missy fell back onto her bed and let out a very audible moan. "Mmmmm, yes I do. Yes, I do wish!" She exclaimed.

Chris just smiled.

It was a little awkward for him. Usually, the girls were holding out while the guys were acting like rabbits. Unfortunately for Missy's case, Chris wasn't a rabbit. It wasn't that he isn't excited to do it with her; it was the simple fact that he didn't know how. Also, add the fact that he was superconscious about his body.

Shirt off?

Fine.

Legs showing?

Fine.

Nothing but underwear?

Depended on his mood.

Completely naked?

Yeah, not gonna happen.

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry." He uttered an apology as he slumped his way back to the bed. He pulled her onto his chest then let out another sigh. "This Friends with Benefits thing isn't all you hoped it would be."

Missy nodded, "Yeah. It's fine, I guess."

Chris looked down at her with a shocked face. "Oh wow. That's telling."

Missy laughed. "No, not like that. I mean, yes I would like to have sex." Hearing her say that made Chris's cheeks turn red. "But, this is fun. I have some of the best make-out sessions with you, so it's all worth it. It's just gonna make the sex that much better."

They sat in silence for a little while.

 _I'm such a f*cking wimp,_ he thought to himself. That three letter word S-E-X haunted Chris's mind. He wasn't a prude or anything; hell, he loved hearing the stories about it from the guys. When it came to him talking, he always used the excuse _"Sorry Guys, I don't kiss and tell"_. When in actuality, if he ever had the balls to move forward to that next step with someone, he would absolutely spill.

"I'm scared." It just spilled out of his mouth.

Missy cocked an eyebrow and sat up. "You're what?"

Chris's face resembled that of someone who looked as if they were going to faint in less than a minute. "I–um…"

"Wait, are you a virgin?" Missy asked. Chris had opened his mouth to answer, but Missy beat him to the punch and answered her own question, "No I don't believe that. You're not a virgin."

Chris grimaced.

Missy's mouth dropped.

"I'm not," Chris quickly reacted. He felt it going sideways. "I'm just scared to do it…with you."

"W-what? Oh…" Missy sighed. "So, am I ugly?"

Chris shook his head, "Hell no. You're so freaking gorgeous."

The red on Missy's cheeks showed Chris that he said the right thing. Hell, he always said the right things to Missy. It was part of his charm.

Missy gently put her right hand on Chris's chest before staring deep into his eyes. "You don't have to be scared," she stated softly. Before Chris knew it, Missy's tongue was exploring his mouth.

Chris gently broke the kiss. "I don't want to hurt you." He admitted.

Missy kissed him again. "Hurt me?" She laughed, "you couldn't even if you tried."

He broke it again. "But, Missy, I—" He was caught off guard by Missy climbing on top of him and lifting her shirt off, revealing her bra.

"So, are we doing this or not?" Her voice was very seductive. Chris could feel himself getting super excited underneath.

Chris let out a nervous laugh, "Um…"

"Oooh, man of steel…" She announced upon feeling Chris's _joystick_ touch her inner thigh.

The next thing he knew Missy had reached down his underwear started slowly trailing down his little friend. Chris almost let out a moan, but he didn't want to appear…weak.

He cleared his throat.

That did nothing.

Missy acted as if she didn't hear it.

"Mmmm…" It escaped his lips and his eyes grew side. He needed to abort…and quickly! "Missy, I wish I could right now, but I have Psychology. And, you know how Professor Layton gets when you walk in her discussion late." _Nice save, Chris._ He told himself.

Missy sighed, "Sh*t! I hate her class. I dropped it, because I could stand the b*tch."

Chris knew this wasn't a laughing matter, but he couldn't help but laugh. He refrained from calling women the b-word, But he wouldn't lie and say he didn't like hearing Missy correctly use it.

"How about tonight?" _Why did I just say that?_ Chris mentally slapped himself. _Stupid!_

"Great!" Missy piped. She climbed off of him and ran to the bathroom. "So," she peaked her head out, "I'll see you at 8, Superman."

Chris's Adam's apple shifted down, letting out a big ole gulp in the process. "That's…fantastic."

No, it wasn't.

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

"…and he's like the most sweetest person ever. One time, I had lunch with him–" The eyebrow raise from Maya caused Riley to clarify, "well, I mean…it was a whole bunch of our Ensembles classmates. All of us get along and we had decided to have a group lunch. It's only like 18 of us in that class, which is sorta shocking. It feels like a high school class mixed with a College professor giving very complicated assignments. But you know, Charlie is so good at helping me thr—"

"Riley, you're rambling," Maya spoke.

Riley grimaced. "Yikes, I'm sorry. Sorry, I'm just…I don't know. I really like him—" Maya repeated the same raised eyebrow look. "I mean, I mean…I think I like him." Riley was unsure, but she felt like she knew 75 percent that she really liked this boy.

Maya smiled. "Well, that's good to see you smiling. But, you already know where I stand."

Riley rolled her eyes. "You're so over-protective."

"I just—" Maya shrugged. "I'm just saying…I don't know where his head is at. I knew where Lucas's wa—"

"This isn't about Lucas!" Riley snapped.

Maya threw her hands in the air. "Calm down. I'm not on anyone's side—"

"Yes, you are. Admit it." Riley exclaimed. "You trust Lucas more so you're siding with him." Maya only nodded as Riley continued talking. "I'm sorry. I'm upset at him right now and I just don't want to hear anything Lucas related."

Maya nodded her head. "That's true. I understand the phone thing. I'm not taking his side with anything. I'm taking YOUR side. I've never gotten to know Charlie, so it pains me to say this but HeeHaw at least has your best interest in mind." Maya tried to explain it the best way she could without pissing Riley off.

It wasn't that Maya didn't like Charlie, she didn't KNOW him. So, how was she suppose to know if the boy wasn't using her best friend or something?

Riley sighed, "I know Lucas will never intentionally hurt me. But he did…so, I just don't know if—you know what, I don't wanna talk about it." She quickly ended the discussion and whipped out her phone.

Maya watched as Riley tapped the Photos icon on her phone before innocently swiping through her photos.

Even though Riley was swiping arguably faster through most, Maya could catch some of the pictures. There were some of her and Riley, the girls, that one time Zay and Chris were hype about the homecoming game, Josh's jersey number, Lucas and Riley, and as one might suspect…her new boo, Charlie Gardner.

"Aw, you guys look cute there." Maya cooed as Riley landed on a nice picture of Riley and Charlie taking a selfie. "Where were you guys?" Maya asked.

Riley shrugged, "Oh…I don't know. It looks like we're in class."

Riley swiped again.

Oops.

"RILEY!" Maya exclaimed, snatching the phone away from her best friend.

Riley covered her face. It was evident that she was blushing. "Oh no…"

Maya looked around to notice nobody paying attention to them before she leaned in. "What the hell, Riles? You're sending naked pictures to guys now?"

Riley dropped her hands and sighed, "I didn't send them to anybody. I was, but then your voice kept popping in my head saying _'Riley what the f*ck are you doing?!'_ So, you know…"

Maya did know…that she was going to scold her best friend as if she was her own mother.

"Riley, unless you and Daft Punk are looking to get serious or…scratch that…if y'all aren't already serious, naked pictures should not be sent to his phone." Maya had Riley's phone in her hand, waving it everywhere. "Do you know how bad this could turn out?"

Riley sighed, "Yes. I'm sorry. I remember you and CJ."

Maya nodded.

CJ was a guy back in high school that Maya became buddies with. Suddenly, buddies turned to something more…or so Maya thought. She thought the guy really liked her. One night, she was bored and decided to snap some pictures of herself. They found themselves onto CJ's phone. Instead of CJ talking with her privately, he decided to rave about it to his friends. _"Look what I'm hitting. Get you someone like that."_ Soon, the picture found its way to every single Junior's phone. Josh, Lucas, and Zay were ready for war, but the guy got suspended for two weeks. Maya cried herself to sleep for a whole three months before coming to terms with what she did, and how stupid she felt.

She didn't want Riley to make that same mistake.

Flakesville is way bigger.

"Be careful." Maya gritted her teeth together.

Riley gently grabbed her phone. "I will. No need to worry, because I'm not sending these to anyone. In fact, I'm about to delete it." She claimed and tapped a button. "See?" She showed Maya.

Maya's eyes widened. "Riley, why does that say _Sent_?"

"Huh?" Riley checked her phone. "OH NO!" She turned to Maya. "I sent it to—"

"Um…Riley, what the hell?!" A voice exclaimed loudly from behind them. Maya's eyes were wide as they stared into Riley's scared ones.

Both girls slowly turned around to see Zay, standing there looking…disgusted.

"I'm sorry, Riles." Zay shook his head. "I think of you like a sister. Plus, boobs aren't really my thing. I'm a Butt guy." He grimaced as he spoke, scared of how Riley might react.

Maya went from shocked to almost bursting out in laughter. Riley's face looked so embarrassed.

"Oh Jesus…" Riley mumbled.

Zay approached the girls and squatted down in front of them. "Look, I won't tell Rachel. Don't tell Josh or Lucas. They'll kill me." He gulped. "Like, Seriously…" If there was anyone Riley was more important to than Maya, it was Josh and Lucas. They would destroy for her.

Maya chuckled. "It's fine, Zay."

Riley shook her head. "No, it's not fine!" She exclaimed. "Now, you've seen my boobs. Also, I'M NOT WITH LUCAS!"

Zay and Maya both threw their hands out and simultaneously say, "Okay Okay we get it."

Riley folded her arms across her chest and huffed, "Thank you."

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

"You gotta know how to be a freak in those sheets, man." Billy laughed.

Chris sighed, "Dude, I'm scared."

Billy knitted his eyebrows. "Wait. Why would you be scared?" As soon as Billy said _scared_ , the thought instantly filled Billy's mind. "YOU'RE A VIRGIN?!"

Chris swatted at Billy's chest. "Dude! Chill!" He whispered only loud enough for Billy to hear. They were currently sitting on the benches in the locker room. "And no," Chris responded after looking around to see if anyone was nearby. "I'm not a virgin."

Billy curled his lip, putting on a facial expression that read 'yeah, right'. "I don't believe that."

Chris playfully shoved Billy. "I'm telling you the truth!" No, he wasn't. "Missy is just…special. I can't do with her what I did with the other girls." _Nice save again, Chris._ He told himself. _That's two, today._

Billy nodded in understanding. "Oh…ok, that makes sense. Well…" Billy stretched. "I've always tried to get Missy…" The look on Chris's face almost made Billy laugh. The guy looked as if he was appalled yet ready to beat Billy's ass. "…BUT I didn't want to mess with the friend group. I have a tendency of just wanting the sex, ya know." Billy shrugged.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yes, you're the _No Relationship_ type of guy."

"Yes, you're catching on." Billy told him. "Anyways, I always thought Missy would like a wild guy. Like, somebody has to ride her until she turned blind sorta wild." Billy saying this freaked the hell out of Chris. How was he suppose to live up to that?

Chris gulped.

Billy noticed this and put a comforting hand on Chris's shoulder. "Don't think too much." That was really comforting for Chris to hear. "I mean, you've done this before. Just…I don't know…don't think too much. If you guys have chemistry, it'll work itself out."

What Billy was saying was correct, but the problem was…Chris was indeed a virgin.

Chemistry doesn't usually work for someone who's doing it the first time.

"I shouldn't be talking to you." Chris mumbled. "You better be lucky I came to your troublemaking ass."

Billy nodded, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." Chris stated. "Apologize to Lucas."

Billy shook his head, "No."

Chris chuckled, "No Relationship Guy and No Apology Guy. You know, soon you're gonna have to just man up and talk to Lucas."

Billy scoffed, "My d*ck's bigger than his. Tell him to man up and come apologize to me."

Chris sighed, shook his head, and stood up from the bench. "There goes the Billy we know and hate to love." He announced and clapped his hands.

Billy laughed, "Getcho virgin ass on and sex Missy properly."

"I'm not a virgin," Chris said through his gritted teeth.

Billy nodded his head, "Sure."

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

"…I mean, sometimes action movies are my thing. I think I just got tired and burnt out on the Fast & Furious movies. It's not like they're not good, but there's so many of them. If you miss one, you're f*cked up for the entirety of the franchise unless you catch it somewhere. So, yeah, movies are good. I like them. Just…action-race car types are not gonna interest me right now. But…"

Josh couldn't help but to smile as he watched Maya ramble on and on. It was usually his sister that did this, but it was nice seeing his beautiful not-yet-girlfriend rambling on about movies and what she likes. Although, he will admit that it was hard to pay attention to any thing she was saying because of those pink perfectly structured lips of hers.

"…and you know, then there's the romance movies and don't tell anyone but I LOVE THEM! Sometimes, they follow the same story, but they're so freaking adorable and cute and—" Maya stopped herself once she caught Josh just staring at her smiling. "—oh my gosh, I'm rambling like Riley, huh?"

She felt so embarrassed.

Josh's smile got bigger. "It's cute."

Maya shook her head. "No, that's Lucas and Riley cute. Not me and you cute!" She exclaimed.

Josh chuckled and shook his head before slipping off his shirt.

Maya's mouth dropped as she watched through her IPad. He looked absolutely gorgeous, like a perfectly sculpted art piece, regardless of his bandages across his ribs. The tone of his muscles and popping abs leading down to his v-line made Maya want to _explode_ right there on camera.

"Okay, Maya, I got—" Riley paused once she seen Maya laying on the sofa with her stomach down looking at her IPad screen. "Oh, no…" Riley groaned before putting the medium sized bag of Chipotle down on the counter.

"Don't _oh no_ as if you wouldn't jump at the chance to FaceTime Charlie at any second…" Maya called out, sending a knowing look at Riley.

Riley rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up." She said before joining her best friend and brother.

Maya swatted at Riley's arm. "What are you doing? Bring the food, dummy!" She exclaimed. "We got a show." Maya gestured toward Josh changing on her IPad.

Riley rolled her eyes again, "No YOU got a show."

But nevertheless, she went and grabbed the food before bringing it back. She sat next to the couch but high enough to be seen through the camera. "Here," She gave Maya her Burrito Bowl And then grabbed her own bowl out of the bag.

"Thanks, Riles." Maya loved food, especially Mexican food.

"So, my ribs aren't hurting me as usual. Thank God!" Josh sighed in relief as he played with the bandage on his stomach. "I don't know, though. It's irritating."

"Irritating like how?" Maya asked in concern.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe like it itches, but I can't scratch it."

"Must be great knowing that you don't have to have Lucas following your every move anymore, huh." Riley said through her gritted teeth.

Maya turned and mouth _'stop'_ to Riley.

"I mean, it's great to be able to do a lot of things on my own now. But, he still helps me here and there. He's a really good friend, ya know." Josh said, knowing exactly how Riley wanted the conversation to go. He just ignored her attempt.

There was no way he was getting in that.

"That's good." Maya smiled.

Josh laughed, "He had another case of SPC again last night."

Maya sat up eagerly. "What?! Again!"

Josh nodded, "Yeah, I sent you guys a text."

Riley rolled her eyes, "I block my mind from anything Lucas now to be honest."

"I didn't get it." Maya said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from Riley being b*tchy. Maya took out her phone, and yup…there it was. "Oh, I see it now. Haha."

In one quick motion, Josh pulled off his pants.

"JOSH!" Riley yelled.

Josh blushed. "Oops."

He wasn't the only one blushing.

Riley caught Maya blushing pretty hard. "Seriously!" She whispered to her best friend before chuckling and swatting her arm.

They returned their attention to the IPad. Josh had moved off camera to change.

"Josh, where are you?" Maya asked.

"Sorry, guys…" Josh said, running back into view. He had changed into blue shorts, but he was still shirtless. "I didn't mean to show you…" He cleared his throat. "…anything."

Riley sighed, "You gotta be careful."

Maya shifted her head to her best friend. "Excuse me, but this was a Josh & Maya FaceTime. Riley inserted herself." She pointed out.

Riley's mouth dropped. "Oh…" She picked her mouth up and slowly nodded. "Ok, so I'm sorry for interrupting your stripping session." She said, standing.

Maya grabbed Riley's arm. "No, I'm kidding. Sit down."

"Riley, you're acting like I was fully naked!" Josh exclaimed. "You didn't see anything."

"Thank God!" Riley exclaimed.

"I wish!" Maya mumbled at the same time before taking another bite of her food.

No one heard Maya though.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Josh looked over to his door. "Yeah!" He called out.

The door open and Lucas peaked his head in. "Hey, I'm about to go grab something. Want anything?" Lucas asked.

Riley groaned at the sound of Lucas's voice. Maya nudged her.

Josh nodded, "Yeah. What place?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I was gonna find that out when I got down the street line." He admitted.

Riley silently gagged, causing Maya to roll her eyes.

Josh grabbed a pillow and chucked it at Lucas. "How the hell do you not know what you're gonna eat?" He exclaimed.

Lucas chucked it back. "Because…I don't know! I'll just call you, you asshole." He laughed.

"Worry about what's coming out of yours next time you're pacing the floor and getting nervous over g—" Josh wasn't able to finish his sentence before a bunch of pillows were tossed at his head and chest.

"Over what?" Lucas asked, laughing at the same time. He ran over and gently jumped on top of Josh, careful not to put any weight on him.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Josh exclaimed, trying to get from underneath his best friend. "Dude! The doctor said no physical contact whatsoever. I already got scolded at because you, Maya, and Riley kept jumping on me!"

Lucas reluctantly got off of Josh. "You got lucky."

Josh took this time to attack back.

"Ouch!" Lucas cried out. "Oh my g–JOSH!"

"Hahahahahaha!" Josh was rolling on his bed in laughter watching his best friend squeeze his legs together and hold his crotch tightly. "Nut shot!" He called out. "Now get out and go get my food." He began playfully kicking Lucas out of his room then closing the door.

Maya laughed, "You two are the best."

"Did you see that, though? I don't even know if he knew you guys were on camera!" He was jumping up and down like a little child. "He can't lie and say that it didn't happen. I got witnesses."

Maya nodded, "For sure!"

Riley raised her hand. "I'll happily testify against him."

Josh clenched his teeth together, forcing himself not to say anything. "Anyways…" He moved the conversation elsewhere. "I have like twenty pairs of underwear that I haven't wore yet." He said randomly as he went through his drawer.

Maya laughed, "Way to change the conversation."

Josh shrugged, "I'm trying."

"What size do you wear?" _Are you kidding me, Maya? What size? That's a weird as question to ask._ Maya mentally argued with herself.

Josh blushed, "That's…an interesting question."

"VERY…interesting." Riley said looking at her friend.

Maya was blushing mighty hard. "Um…I don't know. I was trying, I guess."

Josh laughed, knowing exactly what she meant. She was trying to change the conversation. That skill wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. "L."

"Large?" Maya asked. She knitted her eyebrows.

Josh noticed Maya's face. "I know that look." He laughed, "I order mine from online. Most times when I order XL, they're too big. So, I just get them in Large. Think of shoes, I guess."

"I get it," Maya said.

"Where does the XLs go?" Riley asked. "…The ones that you don't wear. There's no way you're throwing those away. You used to get mad at me when I threw clothes and stuff away."

"Luke…" Josh answered.

Maya nodded, "Makes sense."

Riley laughed, "Yeah right. There's no way Lucas can wear them if you can't."

"Actually, he's a little more toned than Josh." Maya spoke truthfully. "Only a little…"

Josh smiled. "Yeah, only a little…don't tell him that, though." He laughed. "He also packs more than me as well, so it's not like he'd throw them away."

"Wait…" Maya laughed. "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

Josh nodded slowly, "Yeah. What?"

Maya laughed.

Riley looked confused. "What? I don't get it."

"It means Lucas packs more…as in you know…down there…bigger—"

"OH!" Riley exclaimed. "Wait. How would you know that?"

Maya wore the same confused face. "Wait. Yeah. How would you know that?"

"Without this sounding…weird…oh gosh…" Josh groaned, knowing anything he'd say it would be made weird. "Um…I don't know. Ok, just don't tell anybody because this would be turned into something it's not, but showers aren't technically closed off in the locker rooms." He explained. "I mean, they are but it's just a thin white curtain. And if you're not paying attention, you'll walk in on someone. It's happened to plenty of people in there. I happened to do that to Lucas, but thank god it was him because anybody else I'd be scarred for life." Josh rambled.

Maya shook her head. "That doesn't sound weird at all. The showers in the girl's locker room are the same."

"Plus, no telling what they were doing when they used to shower together when they were younger." Riley added in.

Josh shook his head. "Riles, tell the whole story. We didn't shower together." He quickly responded. "Maya, it'll be after the swimming pool and a quick way to get chlorine off is to run under the shower for a few minutes and rinse off. That's all." He looked at Maya through the screen, searching her eyes for an understanding. He didn't know what was up with Riley...actually, he did, but he felt she was being unnecessarily rude. "And, we never rinsed with clothes off. We still had our swimming shorts on."

Riley scoffed, "...or just your underwear."

"Riley, it's not that serious." Josh stated, "We never showered or rinsed off naked. So, it doesn't count."

"Yeah, but Lucas—"

"Okay, Stop it!" Maya yelled, turning to her best friend. "You're ruining me and Josh's FaceTime with your constant nagging about Lucas. Yes, he was wrong for what he did but you're being an absolute b*tch for no reason!"

Maya was fed up.

And possibly, rightfully so...

"Okay, forgive me for still being pissed about him going through my phone without permissi—"

"Riley, let it go!" Josh groaned from the other side of the phone. So much for not getting involved, Josh. "Was that a d*ck move? Yes, Absolutely! But, I know Luke. He's not malicious! He had one moment…Okay. Get over it!" Josh was annoyed with his sister as well.

"Well, I guess I'm not needed here then." Riley stated before leaving the two of them alone.

Maya sighed, "Oh my gosh…" She groaned inside her hands.

Josh also let out a sigh. "It's okay. I'll talk to Lucas. He'll fix it. Trust me."

Maya really hoped he would, because she didn't know how much she could take of this odd side of Riley. First, it was the pictures and now it was being b*tchy. Yes, it was justified why she was mad, but to Maya and Josh it was something petty…and it needed to be fixed ASAP!

 **{******} {******} {******}**

"That'll be $35.46!" The woman said with a smile.

Lucas nodded then gave the woman two 20's.

"What's up, Luke?" A voice sounded off from behind him.

Lucas froze.

It was all too familiar. That voice belonged to the last person he wanted to see…well, scratch that, Billy was the last person he wanted to see at the moment. The runner-up was none other than (you probably guessed it) Zay Babineaux.

"Your change is $4.54!" The woman gave Lucas the change and receipt before wandering to the back.

It was pretty late.

Almost 11pm.

"Luke, man, everything alright?" Zay asked as he placed an arm around Lucas's shoulder.

Lucas didn't want to be awkward, but how could he not be. He had broken his best friend's trust. Even though Zay knew nothing, it still haunted Lucas. He would hide at the sound of Zay's shoes knocking against the floor. But since there was no where to hide, Lucas was going to unfortunately face this head on…and without help, seeing as he didn't bring Josh to bail him out.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lucas said softly.

Zay nudged Lucas. "I don't believe that," he voiced his concern. "You're lying. You wanna know how I know you're lying? A) You won't look at me. Your eyes never once looked my direction. B) Thankfully there's no one behind us because I smell something. And, it's not this restaurant."

Lucas sighed. _Dammit!_ He voiced inside his head. _I've been caught! Stupid nervous bodily functions. At least I just passed gas this time._ "I…um, I don't know. I just feel like I did something really bad. And," Lucas's voice began to crack. "I honestly don't know how to fix it."

"Well, sometimes, it takes a little time." Zay began to explain. "Sometimes, you don't mean to say things but it comes out anyway. Maybe you were sad or hurt or super excited or angry or agitated in that moment, and it just came out of you." Zay knew exactly what to say to people in difficult times. One of the main reasons why Lucas was so drawn to him. The guy was, in many ways, his savior.

Lucas nodded, "Thank you."

Zay nodded, "Yeah. Anytime. Anywhere. I love you, man."

That stung.

Lucas let out a silent sob.

Well, he was trying his hardest to make it silent.

Zay brought Lucas into a hug. "Dude, I'm here. I don't know what's been going on lately, but I'm here." He mumbled into his shirt. "I know you got Josh, but you have me as well. Don't forget that. Never ever in your life forget that, Cowboy." He laughed before breaking away.

Lucas let out a small chuckle. "You know I won't forget."

"Here you go, sir." The lady returned with a bag. "Enjoy. Next customer!"

Zay raised his hand then patted Lucas on the shoulder. "You always have me, man." Jesus, that stung hard in Lucas's heart. "Always. No matter what." And with that, Zay walked forward to place his order.

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

Chris felt like he wanted to die.

No, like seriously…

"I thought you weren't gonna make it." Missy said walking into the room. "It's well past 8 o'clock. Actually, it's like 3 hours over." She shut the door.

Chris gulped. "I mean, yeah, but…you know, I gotta…get ready."

"Get ready?" Missy chuckled. "What do you mean? I'll get you ready."

She slowly climbed on top of him and leaned down to kiss him. Within seconds, he turned his head away. It felt like he wasn't in control of his body.

"What's wrong?" Missy asked then she held her hand to her mouth. "Wait. Does my breath stink? Oh my g—"

"No, it doesn't stink." Chris sighed, "Just…take it easy."

Missy knitted her eyebrows together. "Why?"

"What is it with you and these questions?" Chris felt himself getting heated. He gently moved Missy from on top of him and swung his legs to the side.

"I'm just trying to make sense as to why you're acting as if you don't want to have sex with me." Missy explained. "We've been in this Friends with Benefits deal for over a few months now, but all it's been feeling is like I'm in this deal…alone."

Chris shrugged, "Maybe you should."

" _Maybe you should…_ " Missy mocked him then stood. She fixed her hair into a ponytail. "You're a f*cking asshole! You know that!"

Chris chuckled, "Well here it goes…the real Missy."

"The real Missy?" Missy gawked. "What the f*ck does that suppose to mean? I've been my real self ever since I met you. YES, I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU! YES, I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU! People our age do this all the time!" She yelled.

Chris shook his head. "You just don't get it." He said softly.

"GET WHAT?!" Missy shouted, walking over to his side and standing in front of a sitting Chris.

"Not everybody wants to go around and bang all f*cking day!" Chris shot back.

"Well, I'd believe that IF WE WERE ACTUALLY _'BANGING'_!" She quoted banging. "But no, we're not."

Chris sighed and rubbed a hand through his face. "Missy, what are we doing?" He asked.

Missy shrugged. "I don't know. I thought we were finally about to break the never ending wall of us not having sex." She admitted. "I thought I was finally about to make love to guy of my dreams." Her hands fell down and slapped her legs with every sentence she needed. "Instead, I'm sitting here arguing with him over…ugh, I d I'm not even know!" She screamed.d

"Calm down." Chris said the standing and pulling her closer to his chest. "There's a reason."

"What reason?" She asked, quickly pulling away.

Chris sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's nothing…okay."

He tried to pull her into another hug, hoping she'd let it go. He should've known. Missy was not someone to let things go.

"What reason?" Missy asked again.

Chris groaned and started pulling at his hair. "Would you just drop it?" He asked angrily.

"I would've _just dropped it_ on you if your ass wasn't appalled by me." Missy said then covered her eyes. She felt the water works coming, and she was not about to cry in front of this guy.

Chris reluctantly pulled Missy into his arms again. "Don't fight it." He said once he felt Missy struggling to pull away. "Listen, I'm not appalled by you. I just don't want to hurt you."

"You're not…gonna…hurt me." Missy cried.

Chris sighed, "Oh my god…I can't believe I'm about to do this." He said to himself before clearing his throat and saying, "I'm a virgin."

Missy willed enough strength to pull away. She couldn't do anything but stare at Chris in his eyes. It was her way of knowing if this guy was telling her the truth or not. In some ways, it worked. However, in others, people were master liars. But, Missy didn't think Chris was a master liar. His blue eyes always spoke to her.

And right now, it was telling her that he was defiantly telling the truth.

Chris grimaced.

Missy's mouth dropped.

"Sorry," Chris said softly.

"W-what? Oh…" Missy walked around him and grabbed her clothes from the ground.

Chris sighed and ran a hand through his face then hair. "Missy, I–"

 **SLAM!**

Chris threw his hands up in the air before they fell back down and slapped the sides of his legs. "See, I knew she would do that." He murmured to himself before letting his head look down. "It happens every f*cking time." This wasn't the first time he had to tell someone his secret. However, this was the first time he had to tell someone at Flakesville. "THIS ISN'T MY PLACE! IT'S YOURS!" He called out.

Seconds later, the door opened.

Chris knitted his eyebrows together in confusion as he watched Missy stare him down.

The next thing she did took him completely off guard.

She ran and jumped onto him, knocking him to the ground. "I know what we're doing tonight," she said then kissed him.

"Um…what?" He was genuinely confused.

"Get ready." She announced, standing and moving towards her bathroom. "Tonight is gonna be the best…and probably worst moment of your life."

Chris cleared his throat. "Babe, Missy…Um…what exactly are we doing?" He asked.

Missy chuckled, "All of that pent up aggression you and I just experienced, it has to be let out somehow."

Chris's teeth began tapping against each other. "And um…how are we going to do that?" Was this girl really about to pressure him into having sex?

"I got a lot of tricks up my sleeve." Missy let out a playful evil laugh.

Chris's Adam's apple shifted down, letting out a big ole gulp in the process. "That's…fantastic."

No, it wasn't.

 **{*****} {*****} {*****}**

When the day first started, it felt really good. Maybe it had to do with the fact that a couple of Campus parties were happening and people were eager for those. Many say that no one throws better parties than the Flakesville Snowbears. But, don't they say that about every campus? It's impeccable how that's done. It may be even more rare (or not so rare) how every single college student on the campus can keep a secret about a party. Granted, the university can't do anything about it…but call the police.

Secrets and Parties…

…Parties and Secrets…

…well, parties a couple of blocks from where the main building stood would have to wait…

…because there's another party brewing…

…and let's just say, it isn't a fun one.

"Girls, it's Friday!" Rachel exclaimed. "I'm super excited. Do you know what that means?"

Maya and Missy scrunch their faves in confusion.

"First of all, Hey, how are you?" Maya said.

Missy nodded, "Yeah, you never returned any of my texts. What was going on in Texas?"

Rachel had gotten back from Texas earlier this morning around 2am. Zay drove to the airport and lifted her in his arms. He was happy to see his girl back after three weeks. Fall Break was only two weeks, but Rachel made the conscious decision to stay back a week. She was homesick and wanted more time. Moreover, Zay was especially glad to have his girl back.

"Okay, so…" Rachel stuck out her tongue, "I may or may not have been homesick."

Missy sighed, "Aw…well, it's good to have my bestie back!" She exclaimed, pulling her friend to the spot next to her.

"Okay, so what is it?" Maya asked, referring to the question before.

Rachel stood up then decided to start twerking. "Party Time, B*tches!"

Missy joined Rachel in twerking.

Maya shielded her face. "Oh lord, what am I going to do with you two?"

"Yesssss, my baby is back!" Zay shouted loud enough for the people back in New York to hear.

He put his hands on either side of Rachel and nuzzled his nose in her neck.

"No, Stop it…" Rachel moaned softly then slapping her guy's wrist. "Stop, or no _play by play_ later." She gave him a stern look.

Zay stuck his lips out and pouted.

" _Play by Play_?" Maya gawked from her seat. "Ooooooooh, Ray Ray And Zay Zay getting a little frisky, I see."

"Yup, and—" Zay was cut off by Rachel lightly slapping his face to away.

"…and it's good." She whispered to Missy and Maya, who both had widened eyes.

Missy sighed, "Well it's more action than I'm getting."

"But, I thought—" Rachel caught herself. Chris specifically made her promise not to say anything, and she wasn't going to break her word. "I mean, I just assumed…you and Chris?" Rachel licked out her tongue in a seductive way.

Missy shook her head, causing Maya to gasped.

"No," Missy said.

"WHAT!" Maya exclaimed, "You're kidding me."

Missy continued shaking her head. "Nope, our sex life is none existent."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Chris walking next to Josh. He sent her wink and she smiled back before quickly wiping it off her face.

"Dude, the parties tonight are gonna be insane." Josh told Chris.

Chris nodded in agreement. "Yes, and I can't wait. I love our parties!"

"Josh…" A distant yet not so distant voice called out to Josh. He turned to find his sister, standing there with a sad pouty look as if she had been crying. "I'm sorry."

Chris knitted an eyebrow. "Um…I'm gonna give you two some time." He said before wandering off.

"Are you okay?" He asked before bringing his sister into a hug. Maya had caught them using her peripheral vision and turned around to watch the discussion unfold, even if it was hard to hear.

"I'm fine," Riley responded. "I'm just…I want to apologize for the way I was acting the other day."

Josh sighed and shook his head, "You're fine. Listen, I'm sorry too. I should've been sensitive about your situation with Luke. He's my brother, so I really want you two to get along." Josh apologized.

Riley nodded, "Yeah…I understand where you're coming from. And trust me, I do. It's just that it's really hard for me to forgive him right now."

Josh nodded in understanding. "Of course. I agree."

"Um…Riley…" The twins both turned their heads to find the voice belonging to none other than Lucas Friar. "Josh, can I please speak to Riles alone?"

Josh nodded, "Sure."

Josh noticed Maya sitting at a table, motioning for him to come sit. He smiled and ran over to her.

"Did you have a talk with your boy?" Maya asked as soon as he sat next to her.

Josh nodded, "Yup. How about Riley?"

Maya nodded, "Yup. All I had to do was let her know that I understand where she's coming from but also let her know where we stood."

Josh couldn't help but to lean in and peck Maya's lips.

"Oooooh!" Rachel exclaimed from behind. The others making grinding motions and seductively wiggling their tongues. "Who's getting some Play by Play action now?"

"If that's called Play by Play, what's yours and Zay's called?" Maya responded. "Touchdown?" The group busted in laughter.

Josh smiled, "Good one."

Maya smiled. "What was that for?" She asked. "The kiss?"

"Well, I was gonna give you a high-five but your goddamn lips have been taunting me all week." Josh said with the most child-like yet charming smile plastered on his face.

"Your body has been taunting me," Maya admitted.

Josh smiled big. "What? From the other day?"

"Tuesday to be exact." Maya said.

"You remember the day and everything, huh?" Josh laughed.

Maya nodded, "Yeah, something like that…"

From where they were seated, Riley was smiling at Lucas as he talked about god know what. It did make Maya and Josh happy though. To see those two talking after a whole week was like icing on a cake. So sweet.

"…and I know that I shouldn't have gone through your phone. Again, I'm so sorry for that. I was angry and agitated, because…" Lucas stopped his rambling and eyed Riley. She was so beautiful, but the look on her face told him that she wanted an answer. "…I just love your attention. On me. Your hugs. Your smile. The smell of your hair. And, maybe I was just jealous…I don't know." Lucas couldn't believe he was saying all of this.

Riley frowned. "Jealous of who?" She asked.

Lucas sighed, "Ch—"

"What's up, Luke Duke?" Charlie inserted himself with an arm wrapped around Riley's shoulder.

Lucas feigned a smile. "What's up, Charlie…"

Charlie noticed Billy walking passed him. "What's up, Billy?"

Billy scoffed, "F*ck off, nerd!"

Charlie sighed, "It feels like high school all over again."

"Aww," Riley cooed as she tightened her arm around Charlie.

Lucas shook his head and rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, he and Billy were not at a point where they could talk. He wouldn't admit it, but it hurt Lucas's heart that one of his childhood friends wasn't making an effort to talk to him. Granted, Lucas wasn't really making any effort on his end neither.

"I just wanted to…you know, apologize." Lucas said, returning his attention to Riley. "Everything I said…I meant it. Honest and truly…you and your brother mean everything to me." The look on Charlie's face told Lucas to wrap it up.

Lucas just sighed then nodded before walking away from the two and joining the others.

Josh put a soft hand on Lucas's shoulder. "How did it go?" He asked his best friend turned brother.

Lucas smiled, "I think it went better than I hoped."

"Good," Maya said with a smile.

 _"I order mine from online. Most times when I order XL, they're too big…He also packs more than me as well…don't tell him that, though."_

Josh knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "Maya, that sounded like me. Why is the overhead speaker playing my voice?" He asked Maya.

Maya waved it off. "You're just hearing things."She laughed. _"Wait…Did you just say what I think you just said?"_ Maya turned to Josh, "That's my voice."

 _"Yeah. What?"_

Riley ran over to Josh and Maya. "Guys, why are your voices playing over the speaker?" She asked. _"What? I don't get it."_

The speaker said loudly and it got the attention of everyone else. "Okay now THAT was my voice!" She exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?"

Josh's eyes widened. "Oh no!"

…but it was too late.

 _"It means Lucas packs more…as in you know…down there…bigger…"_

Everyone in the area began laughing and looking at Lucas and Josh.

Lucas was confused about the whole situation. He kept looking between Josh, Riley, and Maya whom all wore the same apprehensive faces.

 _"…And if you're not paying attention, you'll walk in on someone. It's happened to plenty of people in there. I happened to do that to Lucas, but thank god it was him because anybody else I'd be scarred for life."_

Josh wanted to throw up.

 _"Plus, no telling what they were doing when they used to shower together when they were younger."_

Riley's chest started going up and down. She felt so stupid for saying that. Yes, she was heated at the moment and didn't know that someone would broadcast it to the whole campus, but she still felt like a crap.

"The next part…" Maya looked at both Riley and Josh. "The next part will explain it."

 _"I mean, it's great to be able to do a lot of things on my own now. But, he still helps me here and there. He's a really good friend, ya know."_

"YEAH, WE KNOW!" Someone shouted out, and the whole room started crack up again.

Riley could feel the tears rolling down her eyes.

Maya shook her head, "That's not what was said next! What's going on?! Who's playing that private conversation?"

Missy, Rachel, Zay, Chris, and Lucas looked at the three in confusion.

Zay walked around the table and put a comforting hand on Lucas's shoulder. "I know the truth. Someone is out here playing games."

"I feel like I know who…" Josh grunted as he shrugged Maya off his body. Maya looked around in confusion. "The only ones…" His voice was breaking. "…that knew about this conversation was Maya and Riley. Lucas…" He looked at Lucas and shook his head. "It's not what it sounds like—"

"I know bro—"

"—No you don't know!" Josh yelled.

 **Da-Dup**

 **Da-Dup.**

That sound could be heard a thousand times.

Josh reached for his phone and opened the text.

The text read:

 ** _Best Friend. Brothers. Ha! More like Lovers! Football Lovers EXPOSED!_**

A picture of Josh standing at the gym shower curtain looking in shock as Lucas was half-way turned around butt naked. Josh was fully clothed, by the way. It was that moment that Josh talked about to Maya and Riley.

And now, it was seen by at least half of the Flakesville student body…and most likely ALL by the time the parties start.

Lucas's breath hitched.

"This is not good." Chris said.

"So not good…" Rachel and Missy agreed.

Josh had tears welling in his eyes. "F*ck all of this!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Talk about YIKES! And yes, you were probably pissed at Riley in this chapter...or maybe you weren't. Everyone is gonna have moments like that in this story. No one is perfect. WHEW, and the editing for this was CRUCIAL seeing that I had to go in and italicize more than usual. If anything seems off in here, don't blame. Part of sentences got deleted, so I had to go back and correct as many as I could. Anyways, I'm baaaaaaaaack! Thanks guys for the PM's and reviews. They help bring me back to release more chapters. I'm sorry I had you waiting. I hope this chapter made up for it.**

 **Buckle up guys, I hope you've been paying attention to the secrets. Sh*ts about to hit the fan!**

 **100 Reviews! YAY!**

 **•STORMAI**


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